Power Rangers Virtual Force
by MrQuinn
Summary: Led by a veteran ranger, five new rangers are selected to defend our world against an invasion of demons. Original rangers, set in AU Rated T for language and mild violence
1. Chosen pt I

_**Disclaimer**: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers is and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD._

_

* * *

** Thursday March 3rd, 2005 5:59pm ... Reefside, California**

* * *

_

"We are ready?" Cassidy asked.

Devin scurried over the opposite end of the café, adjusting the camera on the tripod in an attempt to get the best possible shot of Cassidy. His goal was to fit in as much of the café as possible as well, and allow room for Cassidy to interview her guest. While he'd grown accustomed to working as Cassidy's cameraman over the years, things were changing for them. Thy were no longer high school reporters, they were working full time at channel six news, and often times they weren't given assignments together. Cassidy had become a rather popular field reporter, and Devin was demoted to editor and forced to stay in studio most of the time, clipping and editing for the news aired.

For this assignment, however, Cassidy convinced Mr. Cormier that Devin was perfect for the job. The two of them had history in that café, making them the ideal team to cover the story.

"Just about Cas," he paused, getting the camera in focus. "You look great," he admitted.

Cassidy couldn't help but blush. "Thank you."

"Alright, everything is set, we're on in four, three, two…" he allowed his sentence to trail off, and then pointed to her, letting her know she was live on the air. A small red light on the camera blinked on to confirm it.

"This is Cassidy Cornell with channel six news, reporting to you from Hayley's Cyber Space. Today marks a landmark in our cities' history, the release of the very first power rangers video game, created by Reefside's own, Ethan James," she paused as Ethan approached her. "Ethan, the power rangers have tirelessly defended not just our city, but the world from unspeakable evils. Why a video game?" she asked him.

"There is no denying what the power rangers have done for us over the years, and lets face it, what little kid didn't want to be a power ranger when they were growing up? I know I did, especially that blue ranger, there was something about him…" he caught himself from going overboard. "What I've done is with the help of a lot of dedicated people is gather as much information about the power rangers as possible, and incorporated that into a next generation virtual reality video game. Now, players will be able to live out the life of their favorite ranger and fight the forces of evil," he told her.

"What about their secret identities? Will this game reveal those?"

"No, our research did not lead us to their identities, and we don't want to reveal them anyway. They're heroes, and they deserve their privacy now that they're job is done. This game is more or less a way to honor what they've done. In the game, you'll be able to pick any ranger from any point in history, use special powers and in some cases, even call for the zords to defend the city. Each ranger will have a unique ability, something that no other ranger can do. The co-op play will allow for five people to play in one area at once, all of them working together to defeat evil. For true gamers who are able to beat the game, there is a special treat in store for you, but believe me when I say that this game is nearly impossible to beat. I designed the game and it took me six tries to get through it all," he confessed.

"So when can people expect to this their hands on this game?"

"The game is in stores now and available for PC. Tonight there will be a special game launch here at Hayley's Cyber Space with a full 3D virtual simulator of the game available for play. Everyone is welcomed to come down and participate. Its tonight at 8pm, but the doors will open at seven, so get here early," Ethan said.

"Thank you for your time Mr. James. For channel six this has been Cassidy Cornell reporting…"

* * *

"Oh my GOD!" Jen screamed, spitting out her soda and almost falling off the couch as she heard the announcement. "A power ranger video game! Awesome!" 

She got back to her feet, regaining her composure and rushing down the hall, around the corner and into her parent's room. Her mother was standing near the bed folding clothes.

"Hey mom!"

"What is it Jennifer?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"Can I go down to Hayley's Cyber Space tonight for the power rangers video game debut?" she asked her.

Her mother stopped what she was doing, going around and looking at her daughter. "Honestly Jennifer, I don't understand why you're not into more feminine things. You're fourteen now, and power rangers are for boys" she said.

"That's not true, there are girl power rangers."

"That's besides the point. I'm grateful for what the rangers have done for us, but that's not something I want you to be a part of."

"I'm not saying I want to _be_ a power ranger, I just want to go play the game."

"It's a good thing, we both know you wouldn't fit into those spandex uniform," he mother mocked.

"Awww mom, I…"

"Don't you awww mom me, it's a school night. You have homework, chores, and responsibilities around the house. There is no way you're wandering off into the bad part of town on your own for some convention where the men dress up in spandex," she told her.

"You'd let Markus go, wouldn't you?"

"Markus is three years older than you. Yes, I'd let him go."

"This doesn't have anything to do with how old he is, its because he's a boy. If I were a boy, you'd let me go," Jen pointed out.

"You know what? You're right. Your brother could go, but you can't. Its time for you to start acting less like a ninja and more like a girl. You spend hours at a time on that blasted computer doing God knows what, and when you're not on there you're at one of those karate classes you insisted on signing up for. Its not healthy Jennifer, and I want more for you than that," she explained.

"Mom please, tonight is the debut of the game. I'll go and promise to be home in time for…"

"I've made my mind up on this Jennifer, and the answer is no," she told her.

"Dad would have let me go," she pointed out.

"Your father isn't here, now is he?" she paused. "Now go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Its meatloaf night," her mother told her.

* * *

Jen stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her, and immediately sitting down in front of the computer. A push of a button turned her computer on, and within seconds, she was online. 

Maybe her mother was right, maybe it was time to do more feminine things. She was developing into a young woman now, in high school now, finally realizing that it was okay to have warm, fuzzy feelings for boys. Power rangers were the protectors of the city, and for as long as she could remember, she wanted to be just like them. She wanted to do good, to help people, to defend the city. _'A lot of good I'll do if I can't even get out the house. Sorry guys, can't help you save the world tonight, I have a test to study for,'_ she grumbled inwardly.

Just then, a screen popped up on her monitor.

**Zetagreen:** Have you heard the news?  
** RevolutionChick**: About the game, yeah  
** Zetagreen:** So we're going 2nite, right?  
** RevolutionChick**: (face-sad) no  
** RevolutionChick**: Mom says I can't go  
** Zetagreen**: R U serious? That's lame

**RevolutionChick**: Yeah, it is  
** Zetagreen**: Are you at least getting' the game?  
** RevolutionChick**: Mom isn't going to give me  
any money to buy it. Guess I'm out of luck  
** Zetagreen**: A friend of mine works at the game  
store, I'll get it, burn it and send it 2 you as  
an attatchment. That way you can at least  
get online and play it with me  
** RevolutionChick**: Thanks Zeta. U're the best!  
** RevolutionChick**: (face-kisses)  
** Zetagreen:** I know. No worries. G2G.  
** RevolutionChick**: kk. Ttyl

Zetagreen was one of her closest friends. Oddly enough, she'd never met him. The two of them corresponded via an internet web site for power rangers, and became fast friends. Both of them had an interest in the rangers. In fact, one of the people who belonged to the website shared the same feelings about the rangers as they did. The board itself, Power Rangers Universe, was an online community with people from all over the world, all of them discussing various aspects of the rangers, including their identities.

It was at that moment that Jen decided that regardless to what her mother said, she was going to be there. She was going to Hayley's Cyber Space and she would be in the tournament, even if it meant being grounded for a month. 'Small price to pay,' she thought to herself. With that in mind, she hurried over to her bedroom window, opening it as quietly as she could, then climbed out, closing it behind herself.

* * *

Ethan sat at the bar in the café, doing over readouts on his laptop. He was so involved in his work that he didn't hear Hayley walk up behind him, setting down a drink down next to him. 

"Everything okay?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, kinda. It looks like a lot of people have hacked into the game's subroutines," he said.

"You can tell how many people hacked into your game?"

"I incorporated a trace imprint on every game. Its like a silent alarm. When certain files are accessed, a warning goes off. I designed it so I'd know if the demonites were up to no good again, but it doubles as a great way to keep up with hackers," he told her.

"So people are hacking the game. Does that mean they'll be using cheat codes to make their rangers even stronger?"

"I hope so, we're going to need all the power we can get for this," he sighed.

"But it'll only be in a the game, right? When the time comes, will you be able to compensate for all these new powers they create?"

"I have a direct link to the Morphin Grid thanks to this disc Dr. O gave me, I should be able to calibrate it to compensate. I only hope that the hackers are smart enough to put their mods into a flash stick so they can be uploaded into the main game," Ethan said.

"I hope you know what you're doing Ethan."

"Me too. This is the only chance we have, that the city has, that Rick has," he sighed.

* * *

_The gold ranger, power staff in hand, surveyed his surroundings. The city itself had been all but destroyed; buildings that were still standing were on fire and on the verge of collapse, ash and soot trickled down from the sky like black snow. Slain enemies surrounded the ranger; some of them were Quantrons, others were Tyranodrones, there were even a few putties in the mix. All of them motionless as the ranger walked through the wreckage of the city, hoping to find any signs of life._

_The battle had been an intense one, one that the gold ranger didn't expect to survive. The foot soldiers came in waves of 50, all of them hell bent on destroying him. With no sign of any comrades, no one to assist in the battle, the gold ranger was alone. To make things worse, power levels were drastically low, and another wave of foot soldiers would surely deplete any remaining power._

"_Is anyone here?" the gold ranger called out, hoping to come across someone, anyone. _

_But there was no one to be found… at least no one alive. He stumbled across the lifeless corpse of a ranger, who was laying face down on the ground. He put his weapon down, tending to the fallen ranger. The gold ranger rolled him over, only to reveal it was…_

"_It's the white ranger," he sighed. "Hey, man, are you okay?"_

_Before he had a chance to wait for the response, he felt a riffle pressed up against his back. "You should have known better to drop your weapon. Now you'll share the same fate as your friend here," a voice said._

_The gold ranger paused slightly, spinning around and hitting a sweep on his would be attacked. As the assailant fell to the ground, the gold ranger grabbed his weapon and aimed. _

"_Damn it Patrick, don't sneak up on me like that," he said, reaching out his hand to the green lightspeed ranger, helping him back to his feet._

"_Sorry man, I was just getting a good at the place. This is awesome; did you know this is a totally free roaming environment? I must have traveled through three cities before I headed back here, and most of California is reproduced perfectly. I even went by my house!" he said with excitement._

"_Yeah, it's pretty good, but while you were out exploring, I've been kicking ass. I just made chop sewey out of a wave of Tyranodrons, but my power level is at four and I won't survive another wave. I could use some help."_

"_I got your back Carl," Patrick told him as he walked around getting a good look at the place. "Wow, you really did a number on this place, didn't you? There isn't a building left standing."_

"_There were four waves, I'm surprised I'm still standing."_

"_Four waves? Wow. Keep it up and you'll get your level up in no time."_

"_That was the plan."_

"_I don't see how the rangers did this all the time. Fighting the baddies day in and day out, it must have been tiring," he said._

"_Actually, I have a theory on that."_

"_I bet you do."_

"_No, I'm serious, I…" he paused as, from out of nowhere, a group of Putrids appeared. "Hold that thought, its go time."_

_Two of the putrids rushed at him, but the green ranger called for his saber, slicing one ad that came towards him. The other knocked the saber out his hand, and then shoved him up against a wall. The wall collapsed, and the ranger fell backwards into the building. As he hit the floor, it cracked, giving him an idea. _

"_Come and get me clay for brains!" he taunted._

_As the group of putrids came through the hole in the wall, the floor collapsed under the weight of the group, sending down for a floor below. A few of the purtrids stepped around the hole in the floor, charging at the green ranger again. One of them had his saber, swinging and slicing him across the chest, forcing him to fall back. It swung again, but this time the green ranger stepped aside, hitting a sabat kick to one of the putrids, knocking it back and sending it tumbling through the hole in the floor. Next, a roundhouse kick knocked the saber out the putrids hand. The green ranger did a back flip, and, in mid air, caught the saber. On the way down, he sliced the only remaining putrid in half, sending them falling to opposite sides._

"_Your time is up!" he proclaimed, standing proudly._

"_Actually, that's a time force ranger expression, not lightspeed," the gold ranger said as he walked into the building, admiring the damage his friend had done._

"_I never can keep those straight."_

"_But that goes into my theory. I don't think the rangers did this day in and day out; I think that every few years new rangers were selected. Someone chose new rangers to battle new evils. Otherwise, the rangers would be in their mid forties trying out here flipping around in spandex," Carl mentioned._

"_That's ridiculous. Who would be put in charge at that? Who would decide who gets ranger powers?"_

"_I don't know, but it makes perfect sense. Think of it this way; the rangers identities are always kept a secret, except for a few times. Once during an alien invasion where the rangers revealed themselves, and the lightspeed organization in Marnier Bay, but if you recall, they were completely different rangers. It seems more likely that once a big bad is defeated, the rangers step down and new rangers are chosen," he said._

"_Maybe, but I…" they stopped as they stumbled across what looked like a portal of some kind. It was an orange swirling vortex, but it didn't look like the rest of the environment. _

"_This isn't part of the programming for the game," the gold ranger said._

"_How do you know?"_

"_The game engine uses a polygon count of about 25,000 per ranger, and a little lower count for the locations, but whatever this is, its much more intricate. Look at the colors, the composition of it, this isn't…" he was interrupted as something came through the portal._

_The entity itself appeared to me more like a ghost than anything else, transparent enough for them to see through, but coherent enough for them to see it. It had no discernable arms or legs, but it began to float towards them._

"_What the hell?"_

"_Shoot now, ask questions later," the gold ranger said, pointing his staff at it and releasing an energy beam. The beam itself was enough to make the entity move back a little, but it was still coming._

"_Could this be a glitch?"_

"_I don't know, but either way, I'm logging out. I'll take a look at the game codes, see what I can find out about it," he told him._

"_Yeah, me too. Besides, we need to get down to Hayley's Cyber Space anyway."_

_As the entity came closer, both the green ranger and gold ranger disappeared._

"_Soon…" the entity growled, then floated back through the vortex.

* * *

_

"Wow, that was… incredible," Patrick said, removing the helmet like head piece and setting it down next to the computer. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, but the disorientation quickly passed, and Patrick found himself in his friend Carl's room.

"We need to find out what the hell that was."

"How?" he asked, picking up his sketchpad and pencil, going back to his drawings.

"I'm going to go into the subroutines and see what I can find."

"You know thats cheating, right Carl?" he mentioned as he leaned up against the wall, never taking his eyes off his sketchpad.

"It's not cheating, it's manipulating the system. Think of it more like a hot coffee mod," his friend assured him, putting the disk into the computer and waiting for it to load up. Within seconds, the screen blinked on, and he held down a series of buttons on the screen, allowing a small bar to appear. He typed in a code, and moments later, a long list of commands popped up on the screen.

"I still say it ain't right, but if you want to screw around with the game, go for it."

He paused, reviewing the lines of code. "This game is amazing. The algorithms involved in this game are so complex, so intricate, I wouldn't be able to change the codes in this game if I wanted it, but I can make additions to the program," Carl said.

"Additions?"

"Yep. I bet you I could scan one of your drawings, adjust it to the right algorithm and make him a fully rendered 3D playable character in the game," Carl told him.

"Really? Do it!" he handed him his sketchpad. "Oh, and do the ranger on the 3rd page too."

Carl flipped through the pages, getting a good look at each picture. "Who is this chick suppose to be? Oh wait, let me guess, RevolutionChick, right? I'll never understand how you can have the hots for someone you've never met," he said.

"I don't have the hots for her, she's my friend. That's all."

"Whatever man. I'll scan them both and imprint them into flash sticks, but tonight when we get back, you're going to draw me a bad ass ranger too," Carl said.

"You got it. Where did you learn to do all this stuff anyway?"

"It's the upside to having no life whatsoever, gives you plenty of time to toy around with these things." he turned around, going over the codes in the game again. "I've access the subroutines in the game that control player functions, I should be able to change the color scheme and configurations of the rangers," Carl told him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I should be to create my own ranger and give him an infinite supply of power. When I do, the losers at that contest won't stand a chance."

"That's cheating," Patrick said.

"Cheating is such a harsh word. I prefer to call it system manipulation. It's all a code, a complex series of commands. Altering those codes isn't cheating, its just customizing your character," he said.

"I came over here so you could upload the game to the web so I could send a copy to RC, but for you to start messing around with features in the game," he said.

"Will you relax Captain stick up his ass? I'm almost done," he paused, inserting two flash sticks into his computer, then pressing a button. Moments later, the computer beeped, signaling it was done. He then removed them and handed them to Patrick. "One for you, one for your little girlfriend. When we get down to Cyber Space, there should be a port for you to plug this in. Find it and stick these in, it will make your character a selectable ranger in the game," Carl explained.

"Thanks Carl," he glanced down at his watch. "We need to get going."

"Lets get moving, we'll take my sister's car," Carl said as he put on his hat, following Patrick out the room.

When the door closed, the entity appeared on his computer monitor, almost as if it were watching them.

"Soon…" it groaned, and then disappeared.

* * *


	2. Chosen pt II

_**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers is and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD_.

**

* * *

Thursday March 3rd, 2005 6:45pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

The turn out at Hayley's Cyber Space was, to say the least, impressive. Elaine was a frequent visitor of the café, mainly because of the smoothies they served, partly because she had a crush on Trent, the bus boy, but mostly because it was one of the few places she truly felt comfortable. Long after Trent quit his job, she still came almost every day. It for no other reason, just to be around other people who enjoyed computers as much as she did. Today, however, her quick visit inside to get herself a smoothie wasn't going to happen.

The café was packed to capacity, everyone eager to get their hands on the new power rangers game. It went without saying that if you lived in California; chances are you'd run into the power rangers at one point or another. They'd saved the city more times than she could count, and she was grateful for that, but today, all she wanted was her smoothie.

She attempted to force her way through the crowds, most of them holding up signs and trying to earn a spot at one of the booths. Eventually, she made it to the counter, where Hayley was frantically running back and forth from the counter to the back room, then back again.

"Hey Elaine, I'll be with you in a second," Hayley said, rushing off again.

The booths had been set up on the other side of the café, each of them equipped with a helmet of some kind and a group of controls in front of them. At first glance, it appeared as though there were fifteen booths set up. Judging by the crowd of people already there, it seemed highly unlikely that fifteen would be enough to accommodate everyone.

Finally, Hayley hurried back over to Elaine, handing her a smoothie. "You _did_ want your usual, right?" she asked her.

"Yeah, thanks. What is all this about? If you can buy this game at home, why is everyone going crazy to play it here?" Elaine asked her.

"You haven't heard?" Elaine shook her head. "A power ranger is going to be here. He isn't going to play the game, but he'll be here to award the winners with honorary power ranger trophies," she told her.

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah, so people are making a big deal about it. You should pick a number, try your luck," Hayley suggested.

"Naw, I don't think so. Maybe I'll pick up the PC version of the game and give it a try this weekend, but not today," she said.

"Really? I kinda already picked a number for you," Hayley said, handing her a slip of paper.

"You what?"

"You're one of my regular customers, I knew you'd be here today. Still, chances are you might not be picked to play. We're pulling the names at random," she said.

Elaine sighed. "I hope I don't get picked. I like the rangers at all, but all this is borderline geeks-ville," she groaned. "This is just another excuse for fanboys to get together and argue about ranger identities. Did you know there was a myspace set up by someone claiming to be the black ranger?"

"I doubt that…" she glanced over as someone was motioning for her. "Hold that thought; I'll be right back. I really should hire someone else to help out around here," Hayley mumbled as she walked away.

* * *

"You just about ready Dr. O?" Ethan asked as he peeked out the door, getting a good look at the crowd that was already inside the café. 

Hayley had been nice enough to allow him use of the back room to monitor the game and stay out of the way of the crowds while he did his work. Dr. Tommy Oliver stepped out the bathroom wearing his full white ranger uniform. "Still fits like a glove," he confessed, admiring himself.

"Too bad it doesn't have any real power left in it, white suits you. If Mesagog ever shows up again, maybe we could…" he was interrupted.

"Ethan, I've saved the world enough, I think its time for me to let this part of my life go. I promised you I'd help you with this game because I know how important it is for you to find Rick and find the keys, but that's as much as I can do," he told him.

Ethan couldn't help but nod. Even as a child, he heard about the power rangers in Angel Grove protecting the city. Dr. Oliver had been a ranger for over a decade, giving his life to save the world. He even resumed his duties as a ranger to assist Ethan and the others, but now, it was time for him to live his own life.

"I understand. Thanks again for doing this."

Tommy sighed, putting on his helmet. "Okay, lets do it!"

* * *

It was difficult to see through the crowd, but Patrick found himself silently searching for RevolutionChick. 

"Give it a rest man, she already told you she wasn't going to make it. Besides, you don't even know what she looks like," Carl mentioned to him.

'That's not true, I saw her picture on her myspace. I'll know'er if I see'er," he assured him.

"Geez you're whipped. You didn't even get any and you're whipped," he sighed.

* * *

Jen glanced around the room, hoping she'd bump into ZetaGreen, but it was doubtful, considering how many people there were. '_I already hold him I wasn't coming. He probably isn't even looking for me to show up,'_ she thought to herself. 

She stared down at the number she was given as she walked in the room. '_25, huh? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?'_ she wondered. Judging by the number of booths they had with the game, it seemed highly unlikely that higher numbers would get picked. Still, she hoped that she was able to pull it off. '_If I don't, then I'll be grounded for a month for nothing,'_

* * *

Ethan walked out into the café, standing on the stage in front of the mic. It didn't take long for the crowd to realize he was there, all of them turning their attention to him. 

"Thank you everyone for coming out for the official launch of Power Rangers Virtual Force," the crowd applauded. "The turn out is a lot better than I expected it to be, unfortunately we'll only be able to pick less than half of you to participate. People who are not chosen to participate will receive a coupon for a free smoothie here at Hayley's Cyber Space and a few copy of the PC version of the game, so it's not a total lose," he motioned to the booths on the far end of the room. "As you can see, there are fifteen booths set up. Each booth has two helmets, one of each side, so there will be a total of thirty players competing at the same time in a completely free roaming environment. There is only one rule here: survive. There will be hordes of attacks from all kinds of villains and foot soldiers, not to mention having to keep up with one another. There will be power ups and bonuses throughout the game. If you're lucky enough to find one, you'll increase your chances of winning. For your convenience, I know some of you brought flash sticks with modded ranger models to use. If you have a custom ranger, that's fine, but all power ups you gave to your virtual ranger will be stripped from you. Everyone will go into this game on a level playing field. Elimination from the game will occur you're your character is destroyed by either a villain or another player, or you exhaust your power supply. Its for this reason that you may find it best to team up with someone. Work as a unit and you better your chances to survive. The three who survive the longest will be declared the winners, and will be named honorary rangers by one of the most legendary rangers in history," he paused. "Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, the white ranger," he said, standing aside and applauding along with the crowd as the white ranger stepped out onto the stage, waving at everyone.

It took a few minutes for the crowd to settle down, but eventually they did, and Ethan approached the microphone again. "As you came in here, you were given a number. I will now reach inside this box and pull out thirty numbers at random. As your number is called, hold up your number to confirm, then take a seat at one of the booths," he reached inside the box. "Number 17," he announced.

Someone in the crowd jumped up and down, holding up his number, and then hurried over to the booths.

* * *

"He's already called more than half the numbers already. It's startin' to look like we're not going to get picked," Patrick sighed with disappointment. 

"You never know man, there are still 8 or 9 picks left. That gives us a 2 in 9 shot and making it," he assured him.

"I hope so."

* * *

"Number 25," Ethan announced. 

Jen held up her number with excitement, and after a quick nod from Ethan, hurried over to the booths. She sat at the first empty seat she came to, putting on the helmet. Since the game wasn't on yet, there wasn't much to look at, but there was a tutorial screen that appeared, showing the basic controls of each of the buttons and how to use the powerups.

"You know I'm going to win this, don't you?" a voice asked from another booth.

"Huh?"

"My brother has had the beta version of the game for over a month, and I've been playing it. I even had a modded ranger. I call him Fireranger, and he is going to own all of you," the voice said.

"I think you're taking this a little too seriously, it's a game. We're here to have fun," Jen told him.

"Its not a game, it's a competition, and I intend to win."

She sighed. "Whatever dude."

* * *

"And now, the final two openings," he paused. "Number 71," Ethan announced. 

"Yes!" Patrick screamed, holding up his number.

"Good luck man, I'll see you out there," Carl told him.

Patrick hurried over to the booth, sitting down. He quickly inserted the two flash sticks into the USB ports, and then put on his helmet.

"And finally, number 14," Ethan announced.

Carl glanced down at his number in disappointment, balding it up and throwing it on the floor as the last person hurried over to the booth, sitting down.

"Remember, those of you who didn't get picked will still receive a copy of the game just for showing up. You're also welcome to stay and watch on the big screen as your friends try to survive in a virtual environment. If you did get picked, let me go over some of the rules with you. Again, custom rangers are acceptable, but all power ups will be deactivated the moment you pick your character. Each of you take a minute to look through the available characters and pick one now."

* * *

'_Oh my GOD, it's the ranger Zeta made for me. That means he's here. I wonder if he's going to use Tempest ranger,'_ Jen thought as she quickly selected her character.

* * *

'_Somebody selected Black Spectra Ranger. Could it be RC? Is she here?'_ Patrick wondered.

* * *

"Now that you have your ranger, all of you will be broken up and sent into different parts of the city. It is completely free roaming, so you may encounter other rangers during game play, you might not, but there will be plenty of baddies for you to contend with. Along the way, submissions will be made available for you to play. They are optional and don't have to be played, but if you complete the mission you will receive power ups and bonuses. Your main objective should be to find the Eye of Thoron and take it to the virtual version of Hayley's Cyber Space. There is only one Eye of Thoron in the game, finding it and taking it to the cyber space guarantees that you will win the game. There will only be three winners, and remember, just because you find the Eye of Thoron doesn't mean you'll be the one who gets it to cyber space. Other rangers will be able to identity that you have it, and will stop at nothing to take it from you. Each of you will start at 250 lifepoints, when that number reaches zero, the game is over for you and your booth will be deactivated," Ethan explained. "Are you ready?" 

A round of cheers came from everyone at the booths.

"Well good luck, and may the power protect you!"

* * *

_Black Spectra Ranger found herself alone in the city, unsure of where to start. It appeared to be downtown Reefside, but there wasn't another person in site. She couldn't help but pay attention to the level of detail in the game, all the way down to the sound of airplanes rushing by overhead and the wind blowing._

_"__This is amazing," she said, taking a second to get a good look at everything._

_She began to wander down the street, but paused as she saw a glowing question mark simply floating in the middle of the street. Out of pure curiosity, she walked over to it, touching it… and a text message appeared._

_**A child is under attack inside this building.  
Save the child and earn 100 lifepoints.**_

_She quickly hurried into the building, looking around. The entire city was, for the most part, deserted, and she was about to give up on the side mission when she heard a child scream from another room. She charged up the steps and into a room where a little boy was being attacked by a group of putties. She ran over to him, grabbing one of the putties and throwing him across the room. Another one rushed at her, but she sidestepped him, tripped him and sent him crashing out the window to the ground below. Two more putties remained, and they both charged at her. She blocked their attacks, then hit a leg sweep, knocking them both over. With them down, she punched them directly in the Z on the chests, and they shattered into a million pieces, then disappeared._

_With them gone, she walked over to the little boy, who was crying._

_"__Are you okay?"_

_"__Yeah, but you're not!" the boy said as he stood up, reaching out for her._

_As he got closer, the boy transformed into…_

_"__Holy crap, its Psycho Red!" she squealed. "How cool is this? I remember reading about you in…" she was cut short as Psycho Red pushed her, knocking her through a wall and down to the street._

_She stood up as the Psycho Ranger jumped out after her. _

_"__You will be destroyed!" it told her, rushing at her with a kick._

_She moved aside and the ranger kicked through a wall, getting its foot stuck. Black Spectra Ranger then began to unload him on with blocks and kicks, but they seemed to be having no effect on him. Finally, Psycho Red freed himself, rushing after her. He knocked her against the wall, then closed in for the kill._

_"__This ends now ranger," he said._

_He cocked back, but before he could finish her off, an energy beam hit in him the back, and the Red Psycho Ranger vanished. Standing in his place as Aqua Tech Ranger._

_"__You okay?"_

_"__I'm fine, thanks to you," Spectra Ranger said._

_"__No worries, us girls have to stick together, right?" she paused. "You are a girl, right?"_

_She giggled. "Yeah."_

_"__Good, cuz I just had to whip some guy's ass back there and take his weapon. He had a pink ranger, but it was obviously a guy. Just weird."_

_"__Where can I find myself a gun like that?" Spectra asked, admiring her weapon._

_"__Here, take it. Give me the life points you earned from Psycho Red and we'll call it even," she said._

_"__Deal."_

_Aqua Tech Ranger handed her the disrupter, and Spectra ranger in return stood aside, allowing Aqua Tech Ranger to pick up the life points. "How about we stick together for a while? You never know what else this game is going to throw at us," Aqua Tech Ranger suggested._

_"__Okay, but no more side missions," Spectra said.

* * *

_

_Fireranger found himself surrounded by two waves of foot soldiers, and was doing his best to fight them off, but was fighting a losing battle. Meanwhile, Green Tempest Ranger leaned up against the wall with a disrupter weapon in hand, simply watching._

_Fireranger managed a double sabat kick to two of the Quantrons, but another one kicked him in the back, taking him down. He hit a sweep, buying him some time, but as soon as he got back to his feet, a group of Batlings grabbed him, holding him in place while the Quantrons moved in to finish him out._

_"__Dude, help me out!" Fireranger called out. "You've got a weapon, use it!"_

_"__No thanks, I'm saving ammo."_

_"__Come on man, please!"_

_"__Naw. I seem to remember you telling me you were going to own everyone here, now you need some help. What's in it for me?" he asked him._

_Fireranger kicked forward, stopping the two Quantron who were coming after him, then squirmed his way free from the Batlings, only to be struck down by a Triptoid. "My brother has the beta version of the game, so I've been playing for a long time. I know where the Eye of Thoron is. I can tell you where it is, but you have to help me."_

_"__So… I help you, and you tell me where the Eye is?"_

_"__Yes, please!"_

_"__You've got yourself a deal," Tempest Ranger walked over to them, hitting a roundhouse kick to the jaw of one of the Triptoids, then shoved them into a Quantron. With the Quantron down, he picked up its blade, and then sliced through the two remaining Quantrons. The final two batlings rushed towards him, but he spun around and stabbed it in the back. As the last one turned around, he fired his disrupter, burning a hole through it, then watched as it collapsed._

_"__Thanks man, I owe you big time," Fireranger said._

_"__Pay me back by telling me where the Eye is," he told him._

_"__Yeah right, like I'd tell you anything. Sucker!" he said, then tried to rush off._

_Green Tempest Ranger fired his disrupter, hitting Fireranger in the back, knocking him to the ground. "I believe you have some information for me," he said._

_"__I'm not telling you anything!"_

_"__Well, another shot like that you'll be eliminated from the game unless someone is nice enough to share a power up with you. Now, tell me what I want to know, or head back to cyber space and enjoy your free smoothie," he warned._

_Just then, a red turbo ranger walked up with two disrupters in hand._

_"__Turbo ranger, get him and we'll go get the Eye together," Fireranger said._

_"__You already tricked me with that crap, but not again," he said. "This kid is worthless, just leave him."_

_"__You're probably right," Tempest said, walking away._

_As the two of them walked away, Fireranger stood up, firing a disrupter at the red turbo ranger, vaporizing him. "That's right, I told y'all not to mess with Fireranger. I own at this game, and you…" he was interrupted as Tempest fired his disrupter at him, vaporizing him instantly. _

_"__Geez that kid sucked," he said, walking away.

* * *

_

Ethan leaned back in his chair, watching on the monitor as one by one, the players were being eliminated. There was a look of concern on his face, but his eyes never left the monitor.

"Problems?" Hayley asked.

He shook his head slightly. "No, everything is okay, but the rangers are going after each other more than the bad guys. I was hoping to see a little more teamwork out of them," he mentioned.

"Well," she leaned over his shoulder, pointing to a two of the rangers on the screen. "These two seem to be working well together, they have been for a while," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but look at her life points. They're dangerously low and probably won't survive another assault," he said.

"Has anyone found the Eye yet?"

"Yes, but the ranger who had it got eliminated and dropped it in the industrial area. There isn't any other rangers in that area," Ethan said.

"What's this rangers name?"

Ethan leaned forward, going over the readings on the computer. "She's logged in as Black Spectra Ranger," he said.

"Well, how about you give you a little help?" Hayley suggested, leaning over him to inputting a series of commands.

* * *

"Whoa," Spectra ranger said, stopping dead in her tracks. 

_Aqua Tech ranger, who had walked a few steps ahead, stopped, turning to her. "What is it?"_

"_I'm getting a transmission about a side mission in the industrial area. I should head over there," she said._

"_But your power levels are low, and it's just a side mission, not to mention that according to the map, Hayley's Cyber Space is on the other side of the city. You're going almost 10 miles out the way," she pointed out._

"_Well, I guess I'm going to need some transportation," she glanced around, finding an abandoned motorcycle a few feet away. She hurried over to it and got on, trying to get it started. After a few chance, it started up. "Good luck Aqua, I hope to see you at the end," she said._

_Aqua Tech ranger sighed. "You're going to need help."_

"_Well then, maybe you should come and watch my back."_

_Aqua Tech ranger reluctantly walked over to the motorcycle, climbing on back. "Okay, lets go, but if I die, I'm going to kill you," Aqua Tech warned.

* * *

_

_Green Tempest Ranger found himself backed up against a wall, surrounded by a group of blue head foot soldiers. By his first count, there were eight of them, and his power level was dangerously low. He knew he wouldn't be able to fight them all off and survive, and he wasn't in any position to run. A quick check of the ammo in his disrupter proved that it was going to be less than helpful. 'Four shots,' he sighed._

_With no other options, Tempest Ranger stood ready, urging the blue heads to bring it on. Two of them rushed at him, but he hit a sabat kick to one, ducked a chop from the other, grabbed his arm and lunged him forward, knocking two more over. A blue head tried to attack him from behind with a sword, but he sidestepped him, and the blue head connected with another foot soldier, slicing him in half. Tempest Ranger kicked the sword out the blue head's hand, then used it to stab another foot soldier. Now, there was more than enough room for him to make an escape._

_As he ran, a foot soldier shot him in the back with a disrupter beam, taking him life points down even lower. He quickly ducked into a building, hoping to buy himself some time, but the blue heads were looking for him. He glanced down at his disrupter, and suddenly an idea came to mind. 'It has four shots, which means about 20 in power. I wonder if I could…' he allowed his thought to trail off as he opened a panel on the disrupter and grabbed the small wires inside. Just then, the energy from the disrupter recharged him, leaving the disrupter itself powerless._

_"__Nice!" he said, admiring his work._

_He headed around the corner, and something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. There was a small, glowing object, and he hurried over to it, picking it up. It was rather small, but had a shine to it. "It's the Eye of Thoron," he said, picking it up and admiring it. As soon as he picked it up and turned around, he found himself face to face with two other rangers._

_"__So, you found the Eye," one of them said._

_"__Black Spectra Ranger? Oh my God, its you!" Tempest said eagerly, taking a step forward._

_"__Tempest?"_

_"__Yeah, its me."_

_"__Listen, I don't know how you two know each other, but I came here for the Eye, and I'm not leaving without it," Aqua Tech told them, pulling out her disrupter and aiming it at him._

_Before she could fire, the ground began to shake._

_"__It's the building, its about to collapse," he glanced around. "We have to get out of here!"_

_The three of them headed for the exit, but part of the ceiling collapsed, trapping them inside. _

_"__Oh great, we're trapped in here."_

_"__I have an idea," he looked at both of them. "But we're going to have to work together to make it work. Can I trust you two?" Tempest asked._

_"__What do you have in mind?"_

_"__The Eye of Thoron is giving off high power levels. Mr. James said that we had to get the Eye to Cyber space, but he didn't say what condition it had to be in. I say we use the power of the Eye with our disrupters to blast our way out of here," he said._

_"__But what if it doesn't count if we don't bring it in as is?" Aqua Tech asked him._

_"__It won't matter if we all get trapped in here, now will it?"_

_"__I trust you," Spectra ranger said, handing over her disrupter._

_"__What about you?" he asked._

_Aqua Tech ranger sighed, handing over her disrupter. "If that doesn't work, I'm going to…"_

_"__Don't worry, it'll work," he assured her.

* * *

_

"Look at that, they managed to figure out that the Thoronian Eye was a power source, and they're using it to blast their way out of the building. That's ingenious," Ethan said as he watched on the monitor.

"You sound like you're partial to these rangers," she mentioned.

"Other than them, there is only one ranger left, and he was more interested in winning than he was helping the other rangers. I've been impressed by these three, they show great teamwork, and two of them seem to know each other," he said.

"That may be a problem," Hayley reminded him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, the three of them need to get out of there before that building comes down or its over," he said.

* * *

Carl had been watching on the monitors along with everyone else, keeping a close eye on his friend. Thus far, Patrick had done well for himself, defeating hordes of villains that came his way, even fighting off a few rangers who didn't seem interested in helping one another at all. As impressed as he was with Patrick, it was still annoyed that out of thirty available positions in the game, he didn't get one of them. '_Most of the guys that made it sucked anyway. I would have kicked ass in the game, but whatever…' _he grumbled inwardly. 

At the rate the game was going, there were only a few minutes, left, but Carl forced his way through the crowd, making his way to the bathroom. With everyone occupied with the game itself, the bathroom was empty, giving him the privacy he needed. He opened one of the stall doors, but as soon as he did, a portal appeared.

'_Its like the one I saw in the game earlier,'_ he thought to himself, taking a few steps back.

He headed for the exit, but a group of entities came through the portal, standing between Carl and the exit. They were exactly like the creatures he'd seen in the game, but much bigger. His first reaction was to fight them, but taking into account they were transparent, he was sure that his hand would go straight through them. He decided to keep his distance from them, but soon, he found himself surrounded by the entities.

"Who are you? What the hell do you want?" he snapped.

At that moment, all of the entities rushed towards him, disappearing into his chest. Carl fell to the floor holding his stomach in pain, but found himself unable to scream, unable to prevent what was happening.

* * *

"There's a power surge," Ethan said, looking at his monitor. 

"Where?"

"Where ever it is, its not in the game. It's coming from inside the café," he told her.

"Do you think its them?"

"It could be. Makes sense, if they're on to what we're trying to do, they may try to put a stop to it. We have to…" he paused as the monitors began to beep. "It's gone. There was a localized distortion that suggested a portal, but its gone now," he said.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Lets hope so," Ethan sighed.

* * *

The last of the entites were gone, and the pain that Carl was feeling had passed. He stood up, taking a deep breath. He felt powerful, alive, as it there was energy surging through his body. He glanced in the mirror getting a good look at himself as his eyes were glowing orange and there was smoke coming from them. 

"Now is the time," he said in a deep, distorted tone, stepped inside the portal, disappearing.


	3. Chosen pt III

_**Disclaimer**: Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD._

**

* * *

Thursday March 3rd, 2005 8:19pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"_The Eye of Thoron is giving off high power levels. Mr. James said that we had to get the Eye to Cyber space, but he didn't say what condition it had to be in. I say we use the power of the Eye with our disrupters to blast our way out of here," Tempest Ranger said._

"_But what if it doesn't count if we don't bring it in as is?" Aqua Tech asked him._

"_It won't matter if we all get trapped in here, now will it?"_

"_I trust you," Spectra ranger said, handing over her disrupter._

"_What about you?" he asked._

_Aqua Tech ranger sighed, handing over her disrupter. "If that doesn't work, I'm going to…"_

"_Don't worry, it'll work," he assured her._

_Tempest Ranger began working on modifying the disrupter, but the building was falling apart around them. With the ground shaking and debris falling, it was difficult to stay focused. _

"_Um, any second now would be good," Aqua Tech taunted._

"_I'm working as fast I can, its just that…" he was interrupted as a chunk of the ceiling gave way, falling and landing on the disrupter, crushing it on impact. The Eye of Thoron rolled out of the way, and Spectra Ranger leaned down, picking it up._

"_Well, so much for that plan. You got anything else in mind?"_

"_Oh, I know, how about we moan and complain to the only person who was actually trying to do something. I bet that'll work," he snapped in a sarcastic tone.

* * *

_

"Its not looking good for them," Hayley mentioned, watching the situation unfold on the monitor. "Is there anything you can do to help them out?"

Ethan leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "Not this time. My influence in that dimension is limited. If only there were…" he paused. "Wait, theres another player in the game, but their signal is being masked somehow," he moved in closer to his computer. "They're in the underground caverns, and our censors wasn't picking them up until just now. From the looks of it, whoever it is is directly under the building. I wonder if…" he went over the data a little more. "Its Liz."

"It can't be, I thought she was destroyed."

"We assumed she was because we lost track of her, but it looks like she's been hiding in the caverns. It wasn't until she came in such close contact with the Eye that we were able to pick her up," he said.

"Liz is a pro, and she knows the world better than anyone. She should be able to help them," Hayley said.

"I hope so."

* * *

_The building was crumbling, and they found themselves trapped. The entrance had been completely blocked by debris, and there were no other discernable entrances or exits._

_It was Tempest Ranger who stood up as best as he could, walking over to the wall and began feeling around._

_"__What are you doing?"_

_"__Looking for the weakest point in the wall. I'm thinking if I set my armor on high and you fire you use the Eye, it would cause an explosion big enough to blow a hole in the wall and the two of you could get out of here," he said._

_"__But a blast like that would take all your life points," Spectra Ranger pointed out._

_"__I know, it'll probably take all the Eye's power too, but at least you two would get out of here," he stopped at a low point on the wall. "Okay, here it is. When I give the word, do it!" he said._

_"__You'd do that for us?" Aqua Tech asked._

_"__Don't turn this into a Full House moment, just do it," he told them._

_"__Oh great, another guy with a hero complex," a voice said. The three of them turned around where they saw a panel in the floor open and a ranger stick their head out. "If I had a nickel for every guy who tried to play the martyr…" she paused. "I'd have a LOT of nickels."_

_"__Who are you? Where did you come from?" Spectra asked._

_"__Do you want to stop and play twenty questions, or do you want to get out of here?" she asked._

_"__I don't know, I'm pretty good at twenty questions," Tempest said sarcastically._

_The mysterious ranger disappeared into the hole, allowing the others to follow. The three of them dropped down into the caverns, getting a good look around. Only seconds after Tempest Ranger climbed down, the building collapsed, sealing up the hole completely._

_"__What is this place?" Aqua Tech asked._

_"__Underground caverns are all through the city. There's something about the rock formations down here; censors can't get through. Its good for getting around and not popping up on anyone's radar," the mysterious ranger told them as she began to walk._

_"__Okay, I'll be the one to ask: what the hell is going on? I know the game is detailed, but underground caverns? That's a bit much," Aqua Tech mentioned._

_"__Haven't you noticed by now that the level of detail here is much more complex than the PC version of the game?"_

_"__I figured it was because the processors Mr. James was using were more powerful than my computer at home," Tempest mentioned._

_She shook her head. "No, this isn't a game at all. The game is actually a front, a way for Ethan and Hayley to recruit people on a global scale," she said._

_Spectra Ranger stopped dead in her tracks, folding her arms. "I'm not going anywhere else until you tell us who the hell you are and what the hell is going on," she said._

_The mysterious ranger stopped, turning around and facing them. "About four months ago, Ethan and his friend Rick began working on a game based on the power rangers. They're goal was to make a fully interactive game with state of the art graphics, but while working on the game, they actually tapped into a completely different world. This isn't a game at all, it's another dimension. The game you're playing right now merely projects you into this world, but there are portals that will allow you to actually reach this plane of existence. We…" she was interrupted. _

_"__Wait, is it a purple swirling vortex?" Tempest asked._

_"__You've seen it?"_

_"__Yeah, when I was playing the game at home. It seemed out of place in the game, and something came floating out. I assumed it was a glitch," he said._

_"__No, it's a gateway to this world. What you saw was a demonite, demonic foot soldiers to the master," she said._

_"__How do you know so much about this?"_

_"__When the game originally went online, Rick and I volunteered to test it. When we logged in with our rangers, we were sucked into a portal, and found ourselves trapped inside the game. It took us weeks to discover it wasn't a game at all. Rick was captured, and I've been in the caverns ever since, trying to track him down without being seen by the demonites," she told them._

_"__Okay, lets assume for a minute that we believe ANYTHING you're saying, how…" she was interrupted._

_"__Listen girlie, I don't give a damn whether you believe me or not. All I care about is finding Rick and getting out of here," she pressed a button on her wrist, and a holographic map appeared. "According to this, there is only one other person out there, and his power levels are very low. He won't last long, especially if the demonites get a hold on him. We have to help him," she said._

_"__I'm still stuck on 'who the hell are you'?" Spectra ranger asked._

_"__I'm Allumier ranger," she said, and then started to walk._

_Aqua Tech stared her up and down. "She looks purple to me," she groaned._

_"__Okay, so this is another world, and these demoniod things are out there. What do you expect us to do?" Tempest asked her._

_"__Either help me or get out the way. We have a better chance to getting out of here in one piece if we work together," Allumier told them._

_"__You seem to be forgetting, we're not actually here. This is a game for us, we're not stuck," Spectra ranger pointed out._

_"__When the three of you stepped into the building I found you in, you inadvertently stepped through a portal. Believe me when I tell you, you're stuck here," she said._

_Tempest Ranger tried to log himself out of the game, but with no luck. He glanced around as the others tried, but without success. _

_"__Oh this is just great," he sighed.

* * *

_

_The White Blizzard Ranger found himself alone in a desolate part of the city. There was a thick smoke in the air, making it difficult to see anything. Not that there was anything to say; the city was in ruins, and the only thing worth seeing were the lifeless bodies of fallen rangers scattered through out the streets. _

_After a quick check of his power levels, he knew that it was only a matter of time before he was one of them, but his map wasn't working and he had no idea where he was. He headed north, hoping to come across something… anything. Just then, a portal opened in front of him, forcing him to take a step back. Several entitles floated out of the portals. Based on his initial glance, they didn't have arms, legs, or anything that would resemble any kind of human form, but they seemed to be floating towards him. _

_He backed up trying to avoid them, but another portal opened behind him, and more entities began to make their way towards him. _

"_Somehow I think that punching these things isn't going to work," he groaned to himself, deciding to make a run for it instead of trying to fight._

_He turned the corner and rushed down the street, trying not to step on any of the other rangers that were laying around. Though the smoke and fog, he saw a building. It was still difficult to see, but he was able to make out the sign on the front of the building._

"_Hayley's Cyber Space, I made it," he said._

"_Not so fast ranger," a dark, distorted voice told him._

_He looked over his shoulder as another portal opened, and a huge figure of a man stepped out. At first glance, it appeared to be a ranger, but judging by the tone of his voice and the way he was approaching him, he wasn't there to help._

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am Belial, general of my master's army and sworn enemy of all that is…" he was interrupted._

"_Okay, I get it. You're evil. Is this the part where we fight?" he asked._

"_No, this is the part where I destroy you," he said, rushing towards him with his sword._

_Blizzard Ranger aimed his disrupter at him, but Belial sliced it in half, and then caught him in the chest with a kick, knocking him up against the wall. Blizzard Ranger made it back to his feet and charged in at Belial, only to be backhanded it back into the wall._

'_Another hit like that and its over for me,' he thought to himself._

"_Is it too late to call a truce? Maybe work of some kinda peace treaty? Ya know I never really said I was a good guy, so I'm thinkin' we can work something out," as Belial paused, Blizzard Ranger rushed at him with a spin kick, but Belial caught his foot, throwing him across the street._

"_You are pathetic ranger," Belial snarled, walking over to him, standing over the Blizzard ranger with his sword. "This ends now, and the master will claim this world and all others. Good will be purged, and evil will rule."_

_He cocked back with his sword, but before he could swing it, it was Allumier ranger to caught him with a kick to the back, forcing him to stumble forward. Belial turned around, coming face to face with Allumier._

"_Allumier Ranger, I was told you were destroyed," he snapped._

"_Don't believe everything you hear," she said, running towards him and landing a side kick. Tempest Ranger gave him a leg sweep at the same time, knocking him off his feet. Belial was down, and Aqua Tech ranger picked up his sword, pointing it at his throat._

"_Don't move, or we'll be havin' bad guy kabobs for dinner," she said._

_Spectra ranger turned to her. "Bad guy kabobs?"_

"_You're suppose to say something witty like that, it's in the superhero handbook," she said._

"_What? Chapter three: corny one-liners?"_

"_I didn't have a lot of time to work on it, okay?"_

"_You may have the advantage this time rangers, but my master will rise, and soon, evil will reign," Belial said, disappearing in an orange stream of light._

_It was Tempest Ranger who walked over to Blizzard, helping him up._

"_You okay?"_

"_I wouldn't be if it wasn't for you guys. Thanks," he said._

"_So here we are, Hayley's Cyber Space. We made it," Spectra said._

"_Did anyone find the Eye?" Blizzard asked._

"_Yep, but I'm not going to use it. We all worked together to get it this far. It wouldn't be fair for one of us to keep it for themselves," Tempest said._

_Allumier walked over to the door, opening it. _

"_After you guys," she said.

* * *

_

_The five of them walked into the café, only to find it completely deserted. There were no chairs, no bar, nothing. It was simply an empty space, devoid of everything. They turned around to discover that the door they'd come through was gone, and they were surrounded by a vast nothingness. _

"_Well, that was… creepy," Tempest said._

"_Welcome rangers," a voice said._

_They turned around as Ethan was standing in front of them with his arms behind his back._

_"Mr. James? You're in the game too?" Spectra asked._

_He shook his head. "No, I am simply projecting myself into the game so that all of you can see me. There is much I have to tell you and not a lot of time to do it," he said. _

"_What the hell is going on here?" she asked._

"_Everything Allumier is true, but there's a lot more to the story. I did use the game to find a group of rangers to combat the demonites, but there is much more than just a group of demons trying to take over their world. I'm prepared to tell you the whole story, but before I do, I'm giving all of you the chance to walk away from all of them right now. Agree to stay, and I'll tell you everything," he told them._

_It was Tempest Ranger who stepped forward first._

"_I'm in," he said._

"_Count me in, too," Blizzard Ranger said._

"_I'm not leaving until I find Rick," Allumier said, stepping forward._

"_I've come this far, I might as well," Spectra said._

_There was a pause as they waited for Aqua Tech ranger's response. "Oh come on, like I'm going to say no? I was just going for the dramatic pause," she said._

"_I'm glad to see that all of you are willing to stay. It means a lot to me," Ethan said._

"_But what about the game? Aren't there people watching us right now?" Spectra asked._

"_I took care of that already. As far as everyone is concerned, the game has been over for an hour. They were watching a completely different simulation, a prerecorded game that had nothing to do with what was really going on," he paused. "I guess I should start at the beginning," he took a deep breath. "A few months ago, I was the blue dino ranger. My friends and I defeated Mesagog and saved the city, but it wasn't until after Mesagog was gone that I discovered another evil force at work. Are any of you familiar with the Nemesis Triangle?" he asked._

"_I read about it once on the internet, but I thought it was just a rumor or something," Blizzard ranger brought up._

"_Its not a rumor, it exists. The triangle is a gateway from our world to another, a demon world. There were three powerful demons trapped there by a wizard named Lerigo; Maligore, Dark Specter and Demorielle. The Turbo rangers destroyed Maligore almost ten years ago, and Dark Specter was destroyed during the invasion of Earth a few years back. Until now, Demorielle had been dormant, but there was an unusual buildup of energy in their world, and she saw her chance to escape," he said._

"_Wait… she? This Demorielle is a chick?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_Yes, and probably the most powerful of the three. In order for her to travel from her world to ours, she needs to collect all of the Eyes of Thoron. There are three of them in total, and once in place will open a portal stable enough for Demorielle to come to our world. If that happens, the world as we know it is doomed," he said._

"_We have one of them," Tempest said, presenting Ethan with the Eye._

"The other two are already in the possession of Demonites, and they will stop at nothing to get the third. My original plan was to find three rangers to help defend the Eye and stop the invasion, but the five of you have proven that you're an effective team," Ethan said.

"_So what's to stop these demon things from coming after us and taking the Eye?" Spectra asked._

"_The Eye will be taken to our world, where it can't be detected by Demorielle. She will send possessed humans to search for the Eye, which is why it is imperative that none of you reveal who you are, not even to one another. If you did, it would only give Demorielle what she needs to find the Eye. She'll send Demonites after your friends, your families, anyone she thinks is important to you to convince you to give her the Eye. When the five of you leave here, you cannot tell anyone what you've been told here, or that each of you are rangers," he said._

"_Do we get zords? And weapons?" Tempest asked._

"_Each of you will be given the powers you incorporated into your rangers. Tempest Ranger, you will control weather in all its forms. Spectra Ranger, you will have the ability shadow powers," he said._

"_Shadow powers? You mean like stealthy stalky stuff?" she asked._

"_I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but yes. Blizzard Ranger, you will control ice in all its incarnations. Allumier Ranger wields the power of light, and Aqua Tech Ranger will control water," Ethan explained._

_Blizzard Ranger raised his hand. "Wait a sec; if I have power over ice in all its incarnations, doesn't that include water? And if it does, why do we have a water ranger?" he asked._

"_Each of you possess elemental powers; ice, water, darkness, light, weather. Alone you are all a legitimate force, but combined, you're…" he was interrupted. _

"_Captain Planet?" Spectra asked._

_All of them couldn't help but laugh. _

"_As long as my tights are that dorky, it's cool with me," Tempest mentioned._

"_Don't make light of these powers. Once you learn to harness them and work together, you will be one of the most power ranger teams to have ever existed. It will take time to master your abilities, and when you do, Demorielle won't stand a chance," Ethan told them. "But for now, go get some rest."_

"_Wait a sec; I'm not going anywhere until I find Rick," Allumier said._

"_Who is Rick?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_Rick, the Red Predator Ranger, and Allumier Ranger were the original beta testers for the game. They were trapped in here, and Rick was captured by Demorielle's foot soldiers. We still have a lock on his signal, so we know he's alive, but until recently we didn't know Allumier was still alive. She went underground and we couldn't track her. The Predator Ranger will serve as the leader of the group, but first, we have to rescue him," Ethan said._

"_Am I the only one who thinks that weird? I mean, if this guy is suppose to be the leader, how did he manage to get himself captured?" Tempest asked._

"_Rick has been in here for months, and when he first came in we didn't know what was going on. It's a miracle he's survived this long, and his experience in this world makes him the perfect person to lead you. Make no mistake, this won't be over until we have all three of the eyes and we destroy them. Demorielle will come after you relentlessly, using anything and anyone she can to get to you. She has no remorse, no soul, no conscious, and will destroy you if she gets the chance," he told them._

"_Okay, we get it. She's evil," Blizzard ranger said._

"_We need to go after Predator Ranger now. Demorielle won't be expecting us to come after her, and that gives us the advantage," Allumier pointed out._

"_I agree, but not right now. This is a lot for all of you to take in, and none of you are ready for a full on assault. Go home, get some rest, and tomorrow, we'll make our move," he held his hands out, and a box materialized in his hands. He opened the box, revealing morphers. "These are your virtual morphers, you'll need them to open a stable portal to this world, and it will give you your ranger powers. It will also serve as communicators to each other and to me. Remember, it is of the utmost importance that no one know who you are. Keep these morphers with you at all times, but show no one," Ethan explained._

_Each of them reached in the box, taking a morpher, taking a minute to look at it. _

"_Kinda looks like a cell phone, but without a flip," Aqua Tech brought up._

"_Do I have free long distance?" Tempest asked. The others looked at him strangely. "What? I was being funny."_

"_This isn't a laughing matter. The fate of this world and every other rests squarely on your shoulders. All of you will have to be at your best if this is going to succeed," he said._

"_But wait, when we leave, won't we all see each other? I mean, we're all in Hayley's Cyber Space right now. We're bound to see each other," Spectra mentioned._

"_Each of you at some point stepped through a portal in the game, transporting you into this world. None of you are in the café anymore, and when you leave here, none of you will be together," Ethan said._

"_What? How is that even possible?" Blizzard asked._

"_I could explain the quantum mechanics began it all, and how the inter-dimensional gateways trans –molecularized your bodies into this world, but it would just confuse you," he said. "For now, just go home and get some rest. I'll contact each of you tomorrow," he said._

"_So how do these work? How we activate this…" before Aqua Tech could finish her sentence, she disappeared._

"_Its voice activated, so when you when you want to contact one another, just call them by name and they'll respond. When you want to open a portal to either return home or to enter this world, press the button. The button is designed only to work in conjunction with the ranger it was given to. The second you picked your morpher, it combined itself to your ranger energy," Ethan told them._

_Tempest ranger pushed the button on his morpher, and disappeared. Blizzard ranger followed suit, and disappeared as well. Allumier ranger nodded at Ethan before she disappeared, leaving Spectra ranger alone with Ethan._

"_I couldn't help but notice there were two more morphers in that box. Is there something you're not telling us?" she asked him._

"_Actually, there is, but I'll reveal everything you need to know when the time is right. I promise."_

_Spectra ranger nodded, then pressed the button, disappearing._


	4. Catalyst

_**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N:** This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD._

**

* * *

Friday March 4th, 2005 4:01pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

He'd been there for so long, he'd lost track of the days. In fact, because there were discernable windows or doors, he wasn't even sure what time of day it was. Darkness surrounded him, and with everything completely silent, he found himself catching almost anything that came into earshot. Drips of water along the cold stonewalls, the sound of someone… or something walking by on the other side of the wall, the occasional scream, more than likely from someone else who'd been captured.

_Still, in all the time he'd been there, chained to a wall and left for dead, he wasn't concerned about himself in the slightest. His major concern was for Liz. 'I hope she got out okay? If something happened to her, I'd…' he allowed that thought to trail off, refusing to entertain it. The only thing that kept him going, the one thing that gave him hope was that she'd managed to escape somehow. _

_His wrists were in pain, his feet only inches away from the ground. He'd been dangling there for… well, he wasn't sure how long. He took comfort in believing that Liz had made it to safety, but now, that wasn't really enough for him. Even if she hadn't been able to get away, staying chained to the wall was no longer an option for him. _

_Every few hours, a portal opened, and a foot solder brought him a plate of food (though calling it food was a bit of a stretch). It seemed to come at regular intervals, and this time, he made a silent vow to himself that when the portal opened again and the foot soldier came through, he'd make his escape.

* * *

_

Jen had done her best to avoid her mother all day, which wasn't difficult considering she'd been in school most of the day. With everything that had happened to her, the last thing she needed was her mother complaining about her sneaking out the house last night. She knew that sooner or later, her mother would confront her, but by stalling, she gave herself time to come up with a good excuse.

She sat in front of her computer, staring down at her morpher. It was a sleek, slender design; primarily black with a gold panel on the front. The panel was covered with writing… '_or maybe they're symbols,'_ she thought to herself. Towards the top of the panel was a black circle that resembled the Eye of Thorolon, but it was black. '_No doubt cuz I'm the black ranger.'_

Power Rangers had been on the evening news almost every night for as far as she could remember; always saving the city, always protecting the world from assorted evil forces. There were times when she dreamt about being a ranger herself, but never in her wildest dreams thought she'd ever be one herself. The only problem was, she couldn't tell anyone.

'_I don't get it, we knew who the Lightspeed Rangers were and no one ever went after them. Why can't I tell anyone about my identity?' _she wondered. Still, as much as she wanted to tell people, she understood that Mr. James wouldn't have told her to keep it to herself unless there was a good reason. '_Besides, I'm only a ranger in another dimension. Its not like anyone would believe me anyway,'_ she sighed.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a screen on her computer blinked on…

**Zetagreen**: Hey, you there?

She reluctantly pulled her chair up to the computer, taking a deep breath. She wanted to be able to tell him everything; how she was there, how she saw someone the ranger he'd created, but doing that would reveal her identity, so she had to choose her words carefully.

**RevolutionChick**: Yeah, what's up?  
**Zetagreen**: Did you make last night?  
**RevolutionChick**??????  
**Zetagreen**: To Cyber Space for the game?  
**RevolutionChick**: No, mom was being a bitch. U?  
**Zetagreen**: No, but Carl went without me.  
**Zetagreen**: I got called in to work  
**RevolutionChick**: That sucks ass man  
**Zetagreen**: Yeah, but its cool  
**RevolutionChick**: Did you get the game 4 me?  
**Zetagreen**: Carl copied it. I'll get it to u tonight  
**RevolutionChick**: kk, thanks

In the distance, she heard someone coming up the stairs. It was no doubt her mother on her way to her room to ground her forever. Jen sighed, realizing that there was no more stalling.

**RevolutionChick**: I g2g, mom is about to  
bitch at me for something… again  
**Zetagreen**: lol, ok. Good luck  
**RevolutionChick**: thx. TTYL

She turned her computer monitor off just as her mother opened the door and walked into the room.

"I see you made it home," her mother groaned, standing in the doorway.

"I see you forgot how to knock," Jen pointed out, turning around in her chair to face her.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up. I wanted to tell you…"

Jen stood up, interrupting her. "Before you get started, I want to tell you that if I had to do it all over again, I would have. It was worth it, now do your worst!" she said, folding her arms.

"My worst? For what? I came in here to tell you how proud I was of you."

Jen paused. "What?"

"I got a call from your boss today while you were at school. She explained everything to me," she said.

"My boss?"

"Yes. She said her name was Halley… or Harley… or…" she was interrupted.

"Hayley?" Jen asked.

"Yes, that was it. When she told me you'd be working there after school, I was so proud of you. Its not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to you to find new things to do, but its good that you're earning your own money," her mother told her.

'_Thank you Hayley,'_ she thought to herself, inwardly sighing with relief. Hayley bailing her out saved her the trouble of coming up with a cover story for her mom everytime she had to leave all of a sudden.

"Oh, yeah, that," she paused. "Just don't ask to borrow any money, serving smoothies isn't exactly a top payin' job you know," she said.

"She gave me your schedule for this weekend and next week. Here, I wrote it down for you," she said, handing Jen a slip of paper. "Oh, and she asked to me to tell you come up to the café as soon as you get a chance."

Jen glanced down at the paper. "Oh, okay. I'll try to get down there," she said.

"You need a ride?"

"No, I'm good," Jen said.

"Okay. Dinner is in an hour, so be home by then," her mother said, walking out the room.

* * *

_Belial walked into the room, dropping to his knees in the middle of the room in front of a symbol on the wall. The symbol itself was triangular shaped, but with ancient markings surrounding it. At the point of each end of the triangle were small openings, and in the middle of the triangle was an eye. The lighting in the room was rather dim, but it was enough for Belial to see exactly where he was. Standing on either side of the symbol were two large creatures, almost as if they were guarding it._

"_My lord, new warriors have been chosen. Its only a matter of time before they come here in search of Red Predator Ranger," he announced._

"_NON-SENSE. THESE NEW WARRIORS DON'T EVEN KNOW THE LOCATION OF OUR DARK FORTRESS," a voice echoed through the room, shaking the walls slightly. The voice itself seemed to be coming from the symbol itself._

"_But my lord, Allumier ranger is with them" he pointed out._

"_WHAT?" the voice yelled so loudly that Belial fell backwards. "ALLUMIER AND HER WARRIORS MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE GAINING ACCESS TO THE FORTRESS. WE WILL ATTACK THEM IN THEIR DIMENSION AND OBTAIL THE THIRD EYE!"_

"_The identities of the warriors have remained a secret, and the location of the Eye eludes us," he said._

"_FIND THE EYE AND DESTROY THEM, OR I WILL DESTROY YOU!"_

"_Your will shall be done my lord. I swear it!" Belial said as he made it back to his feet, bowing slightly, and then walked out the room.

* * *

_

It was like de'ja'vu. There he was, standing outside of Hayley's Cyber Space… again. He took a minute to look at the surroundings, amazed that when he was in the virtual world, everything looked exactly the same. The fire hydrant outside the café, the buildings on the opposite sides, everything was completely recreated. Part of him expected to walk into the café and be surrounded by light again. '_Hell, wouldn't be the first time,'_ he thought to himself.

Still, Jake walked in cautiously, getting a good look around. The booths they originally played the game in were gone, replaced by a set of computers along the walls. Hayley, as usual, was behind the counter working, and there were people scattered everywhere. Some of them reading, some of computers, others just hanging out with their friends.

He headed over to the counter, where a young girl walked over to him. "Hey, what can I get you?" she asked him.

"Um… how about a raspberry smoothie?"

"You got it. Anything else? Breaksticks? Pretzel?" she inquired.

"Naw, just a smoothie," he said.

"Okay, be back in a sec," she said, rushing off.

He glanced around the room, hoping to see Mr. James. He wanted to talk to him about what was going on, what was expected of him now that he was a ranger, but there was no sign on him. He also hoped to see another one of the rangers there. '_Then again, they're probably here and I don't even know it. It could be anymore,'_ he thought to himself.

"Here you go," the young girl said as she returned, handing him a smoothie.

He looked at her strangely. "You're a little young, aren't you…" he glanced down at her nametag. "Jennifer? Isn't there some child labor law or something?" Jake asked her.

She paused, smiling slightly, trying to contain herself. "I'm old enough to work here, I assure you. Is there anything else you need?" she asked.

"No, I'm good."

"That'll be two dollars."

He reached in his pocket, handing her the money, then turned his back to her as she walked away. It was still bizarre to him to say the least. Anyone in the café could be a ranger, disguised amongst the crowd. '_Being the Blizzard Ranger is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me. I wish I could tell people,'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Elaine stormed into the café, rushing over to the counter. Hayley was nowhere to be seen, but there was another person working behind the counter stocking cups on a shelf. Elaine began to pound on the counter. "Hello? Can I get some service over here?" she called out.

The girl behind the counter put the cups down, walking over to her, doing her best to smile. "Hey, what can I get for you?" she asked.

"The usual."

She paused. "If you didn't notice, I'm new here. I'm not sure what your usual is," the girl pointed out.

Elaine looked around, almost completely looked passed the new employee. "Where is Hayley? I don't have time to hold hands with the new kid," she said.

"Is there a problem?" a voice asked.

Elaine turned around as _he_ walked over to them.

"Trent!" Elaine said eagerly. "Its good to see you."

"I'm only here helping Hayley train the new employee, Hayley has her hands full with other things," he said.

'_I can imagine,' _Elaine sighed inwardly.

"So, whats the problem here?" he asked.

"The problem is this tight ass thinks I'm a mind reader or something. I don't have…" she was interrupted.

"Jennifer, calm down. Elaine has been coming in here since I was a busboy here, and she always orders the same thing: strawberry banana smoothie, large," Trent told her.

"That would explain the big hips," Jennifer mumbled.

"I can't believe you remembered," Elaine sighed, smiling at Trent.

"Of course I do, you were one of my favorite customers," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Are you still working down at that computer store?" he asked her.

"Yeah, not much to it though. Just installing software for high speed internet for our customers. Its no big deal," she turned to Jennifer as she presented her with a smoothie. "Of course, it beats being a busboy," she sighed.

"Skanky bitch!" Jennifer snapped, picking up the smoothie and throwing it in Elaine's face.

Jake, who was sitting only a few feet away at the counter, couldn't help but laugh.

Elaine tried to jump over the counter to go after Jen, but Trent held her back.

"Jennifer, just go into the office with Hayley. I'll be there in a minute," he instructed.

"But I…"

"Just go!" he repeated.

Jen got a good look at Elaine one of time, all covered in strawberry banana smoothie, and couldn't help but smile. "Stuck up bitch," she mumbled, walking into the office.

* * *

A portal opened in the alleyway, and seconds later, Carl stepped through, and portal closed behind him. With a demonic look in his eyes, Carl glanced around, realizing exactly where he was.

He headed out the alley and around the corner, stopping at a house and knocking on the door. Within seconds, the door opened, and Patrick greeted him. "Hey man, I was worried about you. Where you been?" he asked.

"Sorry, just been busy," he said in a monotone voice.

Patrick stepped aside, allowing him in, and the two of them headed to his room. "I looked for you after the game last night, but I didn't see you anywhere," he brought up.

"Yeah, I bailed early. That's all," he said. "So, did you win?"

"Win? Oh, no, I didn't. I got eliminated towards the end, but I did a free copy of the game for my effort. Plus, I have a coupon for a smoothie. I was thinking about going down to Cyber Space tonight and getting an order of those breadsticks, you wanna come?" he asked him.

"No thanks. I just want to know who won," he said dryly.

"Why does it matter to you so much?"

Carl paused. "Because they're honorary power rangers now. I want to meet them," he said.

Patrick wanted to tell his friend the truth, that he had in fact won, and now he was officially a power ranger. But, Mr. James warned them about the dangers of revealing their identities. "Well, I'm sure they'll know more about it at the café. You sure you don't wanna come with me?" he asked.

"No, I have other things to do," he paused. "Did your little girlfriend ever show up last night?" he inquired.

"While I was in the game, someone did pick her ranger, but when I talked to her she said she didn't make it," Patrick said.

"What's her name? Her real name?" he asked.

"What's with all the questions today man?"

"Just curious. You've been droolin' over this chick for months now and I don't know much about her, that's all," Carl said.

"Her name is Jen," he said.

"You don't have a last night? Phone number? An address?" he asked.

"No, just a screen name, but I suppose if I wanted to, I could track her down by her IP number."

"Ya know, that's a good idea," Carl said with a sinister look on his face.

* * *

"So when are we going after Rick? There's no telling what they're doing to him in there!" Liz said, pacing back and forth.

Ethan sat in front of the computer, going over settings on the screen. "Don't worry, we'll go after him, I promise, but the rangers we picked are inexperienced. I don't want to send them in there without at least trying to preparing them for what they're going to find. Demorelle is serious trouble, and they'll get destroyed if they go in there without knowing what they're dealing with," he explained to her.

"I don't need them. Send me in by myself," she stopped dead in her tracks, reaching for her morpher. "What am I asking you for? I don't need you to go," she went to push a button on her morpher, but stopped as the door to the office opened and Trent drug Jen in, closing the door behind himself.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but we have a situation out there," Trent said.

Jen snatched away from him. "I'm fine, it was that bitch. I swear I'll…" she was interrupted as Ethan stood up.

"Wow about someone just tell me what happened."

"The new girl got into it with a customer," he said.

"I have a name, damn it. Its Jen," she pointed to her nametag. "J-E-N," she elaborated.

"Okay Jen, just calm down," he turned to Trent. "Ask Hayley how she wants to handle it," Ethan said.

"Okay," Trent said, walking out the room.

"Do you think you can go back out there without attacking the customers?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Jen groaned.

He nodded. "Good. Now if you'll excuse us, I was in a meeting," Ethan said.

"Oh, my bad," she said, politely making her way out the room.

"Shes got a temper on her," Liz pointed out.

"Yeah, she reminds me a lot of you," he pointed out. "I'm going to contact the rangers and have them meet me in the demon dimension to let them know what they're up against."

"Its about time. Lets get going," she said.

Ethan sat back down in front of the computer, pressing a button on the keyboard. "Rangers, come in," he said.

* * *

Patrick heard a beeping sound coming from his pocket, and quickly looked over at Carl, who was on the computer, hoping he didn't hear it.

He needed an excuse to leave, and he needed it quick. "Um, Carl. I just remembered," he reached over to his desk, picking up a book. "I need to get this book down to the library before it closes. I'll be back as soon as I can," he said.

Carl, never looking away from the screen, nodding. "Whatever man, I'll be here," he said.

"Cool," Patrick rushed out the house, turning the corner and standing in the alleyway, then reached for his morpher. "This is Tempest Ranger, come in," he said.

* * *

Jen heard her morpher beep, and immediately looked over at Hayley. Hayley nodded, silently giving her permission to leave. Jen removed her apron and leaped over the counter, rushing around the corner to find some privacy. She reached for her morpher, but stopped when she was saw _her_ standing in the alley.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Jen asked.

"Since when do I answer to the busboy? If you must know, I'm trying to get all this smoothie off me," she snapped.

"Whatever," she groaned, rushing down the street and around the corner. "This is Spectra Ranger, what's up?" she asked.

* * *

Jake was on the outskirts of town, near the city limit when he heard his morpher beep. He stopped his car, reaching in his back pocket, pushing the button. "This is Blizzard Ranger, whats up?" he asked.

"_Meet us in virtual Cyber Space, something is up and we need you there," _a voice said.

"Okay, I'm on my way."

He got out the car, locking his doors, but before he could push the button on his morpher, a portal opened in front of him. Jake stood ready, unsure of what to expect, and within moments, a group of Demonites and Belial emerged from the portal, surrounding him.

"Going somewhere?" Belial asked him.

Jake glanced around, realizing there were demonites on either side of him, and behind him was a cliff. He didn't even want to look down, he was fairly sure it was further than he was willing to fall.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me," he said.

"One of your friends are in possession of the Eye of Thoron, I want it," he told him.

"Well I don't have it, and its not like I can just call'em up and say 'hey, can I get that eye so I can hand it over to the forces of evil'. Something tells me that wouldn't work," Jake said.

"If you don't have it, you are of no use to me," he said, rushing towards him with his sword.

Jake ducked his attack, then grabbed Belial's arm, kicking the sword out of his hand. Before he had a chance to follow up on his attack, Belial kicked him in the chest, sending Jack over the side of the cliff.

"One down, four to go," Belial groaned, disappearing into a portal.


	5. Catastrophe

_**Disclaimer:** Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD._

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it._

**

* * *

Friday March 4th, 2005 7:01pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

The four of them stood surrounded by a white light as a portal appeared and Ethan stepped through. No sooner than he was through, the portal vanished. "Welcome back rangers," Ethan said as he stood in front of them with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth. Each of the rangers stood side by side as Ethan nodded with approval. "I've asked you here today because…" he paused. "Wait, we're missing someone. Where is White Blizzard Ranger?" he asked.

"_Caught in traffic maybe?" Spectra asked._

"_I contacted him, he should have been here by now," he said._

"_Are you here__here, or is this just holographic you?" Aqua Tech asked, reaching out and poking him in the chest, surprised to see that her hand didn't go through him._

"_No, I'm actually here. My holographic emitter is offline," he said._

"_Maybe we should wait for him?" Tempest suggested._

_Ethan shook his head "No, we'll just have to proceed without him, we're running out of time. I wanted you all together so I could tell you exactly what you're dealing with," suddenly, they were no longer surrounded by a light, but found themselves in a jungle of some kind. "This is the lost island of Marianthis, which we believe Demorelle and her minions are from. This island is one of many that were thought lost inside the Nemesis Triangle. I've been doing my research, trying to find out as much as I can, and it turns out that Demorelle is not a magma like creature as Dark Spector and Maligore were, she is something much worse; Demorelle was an Enchantress of sorts, once considered a powerful witch by many in the universe. Her soul was possessed by demonites, and for years they have twisted her soul, making her more demon than anything else," he explained._

"_Alright, I don't get it. So these floaty things play invasion of the body snatchers with you, but if she was so powerful, why not just cast a spell or say a chant or something to get the demon out?" Allumier asked._

"_Once inside, a demonite will fuse itself with your life energy, making it almost impossible to remove it. There have been cases where demonites were removed from a human host, but the hosts themselves never survive," he said._

"_So this Demorelle chick is human, but possessed by demons?" Tempest asked._

"_Not quiet. Demorelle isn't human at all, she is an Allurian. Her world was invaded and eventually conquered by demons, and she was considered the last of her people. She was possessed by not one, but hundreds of demonites. Her name before she was possessed is unknown, nor do we know anything about the role she played on her world. Make no mistake about it, Demorelle is evil and beyond saving. She will stop at nothing to escape her prison and come to our world," he told them._

"_But she needs the Eye, right?" _

"_Yes. Lerigo was a clever wizard, and when she placed Demorelle in her prison, he put safeguards in place. For one, you need all three Eyes to open the portal that will bring her here. Secondly, and most importantly, the Eye, once in the possession of good, cannot be taken from you. The Eye must be given willingly by whoever holds it," Ethan said._

"_Who would be stupid enough to hand the Eye over to a demon?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_Demorelle is very… how can I say this? Very persuasive. She'll try to deceive you at every turn. It's more than likely that you won't realize you're being manipulated until it's too late. That's why its important that none of you reveal your identities to anyone, not even each other. To do so would put your families and friends at risk. Demorelle has agents in our world working for her, and they will stop at nothing to obtain the Eye," he said._

_Spectra raised her hand. "Is it just me, or does that have foreshadow written all over it?"_

"_Agents of Demorelle won't know who you are while in civilian form, but they will be able to track energy signatures as they try to find the Eye," he said._

"_So we're safe as long as we're not in here," Tempest said._

"_No. Agents won't be able to recognize you, but they're out there, looking. Because of that, your morphers have been designed to let you morph even in our world. Just remember, guard your secret and let no one see you morph. To access the power, press the button and say 'Log on! Virtual Upload, Ranger Mode!'," he instructed._

"_What?"_

"_Are you serious?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_Why can't we just push the button? We don't really need a witty catchphrase," Allumier added._

"_The morphers are voice activated and will respond only to your voice. Because of that, you have say 'Log on! Virtual Upload, Ranger Mode' in order for it to work. You push the same button for communicating with one another, but its pushing the button and saying the morphing call in conjunction with each other that allows you to morph," Ethan explained._

"_Is upload really the right term? I mean, we're not really transferring data of anything, so…" Aqua Tech was interrupted._

"_As long as we don't have to do a gay ass pose or anything, its okay with me," Spectra said._

"_Hey! I want to do a pose. Oh, and do we get to say HA right after? You know, to add some ump to it," Tempest brought up._

_Ethan couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, the HA is kinda cool, isn't it?"_

"_Besides, Log on! Virtual Upload, Ranger Mode is pretty long? Won't the bad guys jump us while we're doing our little routine?" Spectra asked._

"_No, I think bad guys respect our need to strike a pose," Tempest said._

"_Surprisingly enough, they do," Ethan added._

"_You'll all missing the point. We're here to give you the full scoop on Demorelle and her baddies. Now that you know, we need to find Demorelle's fortress, save Rick and get the other two Eyes. While you guys are busy making jokes, Rick could somewhere being tortured. Or worse, possessed by those demon things. If it were one of you, you wouldn't want the rest of us standing around trying to be sarcastic, you'd want us to get our asses in gear and find you."_

_It was enough to make all of them stop, giving Allumier than undivided attention. _

"_She's right guys. No more tom foolery!" Tempest mocked._

_The rest of them giggled._

"_How about some shenanigans?"_

"_There's always time for shenanigans!" Aqua Tech said._

_Allumier turned to Ethan. "I knew that recruiting video game geeks was a bad idea. I'm going to find Rick with or without your help," she said, storming off._

"_Liz…" he tried to catch himself, but it was too late. "Allumier… come back," he called out, but she continued on her way._

_'Wait, I've heard that name before, but where?' Spectra wondered. 'I remember, in Mr. James' office. He was talking to a woman, I think her name was Liz. Its her, Liz is Allumier Ranger.' Though she'd figured it out, she chose to keep the information to herself. 'For now,' he sighed inwardly._

"_Listen guys, I know you're just trying to have a little fun, but Allumier lost someone very special to her. He's here, somewhere, and…" he was cut short._

"_Okay, we get it. We were being silly," Tempest turned to the group. "Okay guys, lets go find this Rick guy and bring him home."_

"_The three of you go, I'm going to go back to the café and see if I can track down Blizzard Ranger. Which one of you has the Eye?" Ethan asked._

"_I do," Tempest said._

"_You'll need it to enter Demorelle's fortress, but be careful. Remember, she will try to deceive you," he said._

_"Don't worry, we'll be back with Rick in time for another strawberry banana smoothie before dinner," Aqua Tech said._

_'Wait… strawberry banana smoothie? It couldn't be,' Spectra thought to herself, but again, decided against saying anything. 'When we get back home, I'll find out once and for all.'_

"_And maybe some of those breadsticks, too," Tempest said._

"_Ya know, I've never had those. Are they good?" she asked as they walked away._

"_The best! You've gotta get the dipping sauce too. There's nothing else like it in Reefside," he bragged._

_Ethan couldn't help but crack a smile as he watched them walk away. He recalled laughing and joking with his friends as well, but hoped that when it was time for them to get serious, they'd be able to._

"_I'm sure they'll be fine," he sighed._

"_Which is more than I can say for you," a voice said from behind._

_Ethan turned around only to see Belial standing behind him._

"_Alright tall, dark and ugly, lets go!" he said, standing ready._

"_I would take great pleasure in destroying you here and now, but my master has other plans for you," he waved his hand slightly. Before Ethan realized it, a portal opened up beneath his feet, and he fell through. "My master will be pleased," Belial said as he fell into the portal as well just before it disappeared.

* * *

_

_The four of them walked through what seemed like an infinite jungle. For as far as the eye could see, there were nothing but trees and vines. Alluimer led the way, using a sword to cut a path through the jungle._

"_So, what's the deal with you and this Rick guy anyway? I get that he's a friend of yours, but you seem awful determined to find him," Tempest brought up, trying to break the silence between them._

"_I'd do the same for either of you," she responded, never looking back._

"_That's a load of crap and you know it. Ten minutes ago we were video game geeks, now you want us to believe you'd put your neck on the line for us? Assume for a minute that we're not complete idiots and tell us what's going on," he said._

_Allumier sighed. "Red Predator Ranger… I mean, Rick and I dated for about eight months. We worked side by side at Operation: Lightspeed in Marnier Bay trying to perfect new ranger powers. His original design and my original concepts were the basis for a new type of ranger in the event the world ever needed them again. We met Ethan at a cybergenics convention a while back, and we got to talking. When he told us that there was a new threat that needed our immediate attention, we combined our efforts to perfect the morphers so that we could put a stop to this demon invasion," Allumier explained._

"_How did the video game come about though?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_The video game was simply a way to recruit you. The game is just that, a game, and has no ties to the Nemesis Triangle in anyway. Once you were chosen, you were given morphers. This isn't playtime kids, this is the real deal. There are no cheat codes or hacks you can use here. You die here, and that's it, you're done," she said._

"_But you still haven't told us the whole story about you and Rick," Spectra said._

"_Theres nothing else to tell. We dated, it didn't work out for us, but we stayed good friends. If I were trapped in this hell hole somewhere, he'd try to save me. I owe him to try to save him as well," she said._

"_Why didn't it work out?"_

"_Stop," she said. The three of them stopped behind her as they came to a clearing. "Just over those mountains is the Dark Fortress. Who has the Eye?" she asked them._

"_I do," Tempest said._

"_Hold on to it for now, but to get through the protective barrier, we're going to need it," she said._

"_Next time, you think we could teleport a little closer to the damn fortress? All this Kangaroo Jack shit is not working out for me," Spectra sighed.

* * *

_

_Belial walked into the master's chamber again, bowing down in front of the symbol on the wall. The two guards on either side of the wall seemed to pay him no attention at all as Belial layed his sword down in front of him._

"_My Lord, I…"_

"_IS THE CREATOR IN OUR POSSESSION?" a voice asked, shaking the entire room._

"_Yes, Ethan James is on our custody. And, I was able to destroy one of the chosen warriors as well while in his civilian form," he announced._

"_HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO RECOGNIZE HIM IN THE OUTER REALM?"_

"_The warrior was…my brother," he paused. "Rather, my human host's brother. The memories still in this shell were strong enough to lead me straight to him," he told her._

'_My brother…Jake,' he thought to himself. There was a sense of disorientation in his mind, clouds of confusion began to get the best of him, but it passed._

"_EXCELLENT WORK. YOU HAVE SERVED ME WELL. DESTROY ETHAN JAMES AND BRING ME HIS REMAINS."_

"_My lord, forgive me, but we can use him to lead us to the others. Would you not…" he was cut short._

"_THE HUMAN SOUL IS A PERSISTANT ENTITY, THE CREATOR WILL NOT BETRAY HIS CHOSEN WARRIORS AND WOULD SURELY DIE BEFORE REVEALING THEM TO US. WHILE HIS TORTURE WOULD BE ENTERTAINING, IT WOULD SERVE NO PURPOSE. KILL HIM NOW AND BE DONE WITH HIM," the voice ordered._

"_As you wish my Lord. It will be done," Belial said._

"_IS OUR PLAN READY TO BE EXECUTED?"_

"_Yes my Lord. The chosen warriors are on their way here, and walking right into our trap," he said._

"_SOON I WILL BE FREE OF WRECHED PRISON, AND THE OUTER REALM WILL FEEL MY WRATH!"_

"_Are we there yet?" Spectra whined._

"_We'll be there when we get there," Allumier told her._

"_Don't make me turn this car around and take you home!" Tempest added, then paused. "Sorry, my mom use to say that to me all the time."_

_The four of them stood at the outskirts of the fortress, amazed at how big it was. None of them could see around it or over it._

"_Let me guess, we have to go in there, don't we?" Tempest asked._

"_Yeah, this is the place," she extended her hand towards the fortress, but was stopped as a force field appeared. "We're going to need the Eye to get in from here."_

_Tempest took a step forward, presenting Allumier with the Eye. Before she could take it, a portal opened, and a group of Quantrons stepped through, standing between them and the fortress._

"_I assume they're not here to escort us in," Aqua Tech said._

"_That's a safe bet. Spread out and lets take these fuckers out!" Alluimier said._

_Two Quantrons charged at Spectra, but she side stepped one, then reached her hand out towards the other one, emitting a beam of energy, knocking the Quantron backwards. "Whoa… that was sweet as hell," she said. "My ranger powers must be kicking in." She tried again, but this time she missed and hit Tempest in the shoulder._

"_Hey!" he called out._

"_Sorry, still workin' out the bugs," she sighed._

_The Quantrons landed a kick to Aqua Tech, knocking her into a small stream. Before she got up, she nodded slightly, and the water around her began to rise up. Then, with a flick of the wrist, the water shot towards the Quantrons, taking them down. "That's right, don't mess with Texas!" she snapped._

"_Texas? We're in Reefside," Spectra reminded her._

_Just then, a bolt of lighten came out of the sky, hitting three Quantrons and destroying them on impact. "Actually, we're not in Reefside either. Technically," he told them._

"_I see you're all learning how to use your ranger powers. That's good, we're going to need them when we…" Allumier was cut short as another portal opened, and this time a dozen Quantrons stepped out, each of them with phaser riffles in hand._

"_Okay. Its safe to say that Demorelle knows we're coming," Tempest pointed out._

"_Surrender or be destroyed," one of the Quantrons told them._

"_Oh please, we're about to…" Spectra was cut short._

"_Do as he says," Allumier told them._

"_What?"_

"_We're outnumbered. Its not going to do us any good to go down fighting," she said._

"_But…"_

"_No buts, that's an order," Allumier said._

"_Order? Who the hell made you Captain Picard? I say we beat the hell out of these tin cans!" Aqua Tech said._

_Just then, another portal opened, and yet another group of Quantrons stepped out, taking their positions._

"_Okay, giving up is starting to sound like a good idea," Tempest mentioned._

"_They're not going to destroy us, at least not yet. They'll have to find a way to trick us into giving up the Eye first," Allumier pointed out._

"_Sure, that means Tempest is safe, but the rest of us are prime candidates for being killed off," Spectra noted._

_Before anyone could respond, three of them Quantrons fell back, exploding on impact._

"_What the…"_

_Another Quantron exploded, and then seemingly raised up in the air and flew into another Quantron, taking him down._

"_Its Red Predator Ranger!" Allumier said eagerly._

_At that moment, Red Predator Ranger materialized in front of them with blades in each hand. "Miss me?" he asked. "Wait, hold that thought."_

_He charged at the Quantrons, stabbing them both in the stomach, but kept the blades in place. Using them as leverage, he did a back flip, kicking another Quantron in the chest. As he removed the blades from the Quantrons, they fell to the ground and exploded. The remaining Quantrons regrouped, stepping through a portal and disappearing._

_With all of them gone, Allumier ran over to Predator Ranger, wrapping her arms around him. "I thought I'd lost you forever," she sighed._

"_Not a chance," he said._

_It was Spectra who walked over to him, staring him up and down. "So, you're the big bad Predator Ranger, huh? Let me guess, your special power is cloaking," she said._

_He nodded. "Among other things. I engaged the cloak in my cell when they came to check on me. At the right time, I took them out and made my escape. Besides, I had to know that Liz was safe," he said._

"_I'm fine. I never gave up looking for you," she sighed._

"_Okay, enough of the One Life to Live moment. We got what we came for, can we get out of here now?" Aqua Tech asked._

"_No, not yet. Demorelle doesn't know I've escaped yet. This is the perfect time for us to go in there and get the other two Eyes of Thoron. Once we have all three, we'll be powerful enough to seal all the portals to our world, and Demorelle will never be able to escape," he told them._

"_That sounds like a plan, but how?"_

"_I'll engage my cloak and go in first. The rest of you will follow and distract the demonites while I find the Eyes and bring them back out," he said._

"_You can't do this alone, you're going to need help," Spectra said._

_He shook his head. "No, I know this fortress like the back of my hand now. I can get in, get the Eyes and get out before they even know I was there. I'm going to need the rest of you to hold off any baddies who might to patrolling," he said._

"_Okay, I'm with you," Allumier said._

"_I knew I could count on you. Which one of you has the Eye?" Predator asked._

"_I do," Tempest said._

"_Give it to me so I can use it to open a hole big enough for us to get through. I'm going to need one of you to remain here just in case we fail," he said._

"_I'm not missing the action, you can forget that," Spectra said._

"_Me neither. After all the drama we've gone through, I have to be there when it all goes down," Aqua Tech said._

"_Liz, you stay here," Predator said._

"_What? Why?"_

"_I don't know these new warriors, and I trust you. If something goes wrong, I'm going to need you to find another way in," he told her._

_She nodded. "Okay," she sighed._

"_Now, lets get this overwith so we can go home," he said, extending his hand to Tempest. Tempest handed him the Eye, and it began to glow. Predator approached the barrier, and a small hole opened up. "Hurry, inside."_

_Aqua Tech, Tempest and Spectra jumped through, followed by Predator as the hole closed._

"_Okay, now what?"_

"_Now… all you die!" Predator said._

"_What?"_

"_Fools! All of you. Demorelle will rise again, and the Earth shall perish!" he snarled._

"_Rick? Noooooo!" Liz screamed from the other side._

_At that moment, there was a flash of light as Red Predator Ranger was replaced by…_

"_Belial," Tempest sighed._

"_Disguising myself as your friend and tricking you into giving me the Eye was easier than I thought," he raised the Eye over his head, and a beam of light shot out of it, hitting the three rangers in the chest, knocking them out. "You were the only threat Allumier, but now you have no way inside and no one to help you. My Lord will rise, and you will bare witness to the destruction of your home world," he told her._

"_I'll find a way to stop you, I'll…"_

"_You will do nothing," a portal opened as Quantrons stepped out, picking up the unconscious rangers and dragging them away. "You're alone, and you have no one to help you. Not that it matters, there is no force in the universe that will stop Demorelle," he said, stepping through the portal and disappearing as well.

* * *

_

_Belial walked into the chamber with the Eye in hand, standing in front of the symbol on the wall._

"_My Lord, I have the Eye, and I am ready to free you from your eternal prison," he said._

"_EXCELLENT WORK BELIAL. DO IT, FREE ME!" the voice said, echoing through the entire fortress._

_He approached the symbol slowly, inserting the Eye into the last remaining opening on the wall. The symbol began to glow, then eventually began to disappear. There was a flash of light, a light bright enough to fill the entire chamber. When the light subsided, a figure emerged from the symbol on the wall._

_She was wrapped in white cloth, but not very much of it. Her red hair seemed to flow around her, and her eyes were a sinister red. Her hands were more claw-like than anything else, and she had wings on her back that seemed to extend outwards. _

"_You… are beautiful," Belial sighed, unable to take his eyes off her._

_She smiled slightly. "You have served me well my friend, and now, you will get what's coming to you," she said._

_Belial noticed that her voice was nothing at all like he'd heard when the master spoke to him. It was much softer, much more soothing, but he didn't seem to care. Demorelle was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "I live to serve," he said._

_Demorielle reached outward, touching his shoulder slightly. At that moment, the demonites that had possessed him left his body, and the armor he wore disappeared, leaving behind his human form, which fell to the floor. "Yes, you do. And now you will die," she sighed._

"_But…" he called out, but was too weak to move._

"_I have no use for you human. My domination of the human realm begins now, and there is no one in this universe or any other that can stop me!" she groaned in a sinister tone.

* * *

_

There was field of some kind, with nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. The sun was shining, but there was no heat, only a light breeze from the wind as it blew. Everything was calm, peaceful, and serene.

Just then, a portal opened overhead, and Jake fell through, landing in the grass.

"Whoa, that was intense," he moaned, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Welcome Blizzard Ranger." A young woman said.

"What?" he paused. "How did you know who I was?" he asked her.

"We're running out of time, and we have to get moving if we have a chance at stopping the demon invasion," she said as she approached him.

"W-Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Angela Fairweather," she said.


	6. Catastrophe pt II

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD._

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

**

* * *

Friday March 4th, 2005 10:17pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

There was field of some kind, with nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. The sun was shining, but there was no heat, only a light breeze from the wind as it blew. Everything was calm, peaceful, and serene.

Just then, a portal opened overhead, and Jake fell through, landing in the grass.

"Whoa, that was intense," he moaned, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Welcome Blizzard Ranger." A young woman said.

"What?" he paused. "How did you know who I was?" he asked her.

"We're running out of time, and we have to get moving if we have a chance at stopping the demon invasion," she said as she approached him.

"W-Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Angela Fairweather," she said.

"Okay, and that means _what_ to me?"

"You're just going to have to trust me Jake, we really don't have time for this," she told him.

"I suggest you make the time, cuz I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who the hell you are, how you know me and what the hell is going on," he said, folding his arms.

"I'm Angela Fairweather, head of the technology and science division of operation Lightspeed. I have been working as a silent partner alongside Hayley Stanton and Ethan James helping them develop the Virtual morphers, but about fifteen minutes ago, I lost the signal on Ethan, and our censors picked up a high amount of energy coming from the Nemesis triangle. I have reason to believe that Demorielle is free and ready to begin her invasion of Earth," she explained.

"See, that didn't take so long, did it?"

"There's something else," she paused. "We have reason to believe that your brother is in danger as well," she mentioned.

"What? Carl? How?"

"I was able to get my hands on a data sheet from the virtual reality game you played in Cyber Space, and I was looking through the modified versions of rangers that were uploaded. Your brother's design has been in use for the over 36 hours now, leading me to believe that he himself was one of the rangers, but about fifteen minutes ago, his power levels dropped severely and his modified ranger dropped off from our censors. I'm not sure what that means for him physically, but I know it can't be good," Ms. Fairweather explained.

Jake paused. "So what do we do?"

"We need to coordinate with Hayley, see what she knows. If we have to, we're going to have to mount a rescue of some kind," she said.

"What about the other rangers?"

"I've lost the signal on all but one of them. We have to fear the worst and assume they've been destroyed," she sighed.

"Just because you lost your signal doesn't mean they're dead. Maybe their signals have been blocked, or masked, or maybe the power has been destroyed but they're okay," Jake brought up.

"Either way, we're on our own," she said.

* * *

"Something is wrong," Hayley sighed, going over the readings on her monitor.

"Could you be wrong about this?" Trent asked as he walked up behind her, reading over her shoulder.

"I don't think so. I've lost contact with Ethan and three of the rangers, Blizzard Ranger is still missing in action and there is a huge buildup of energy in the Nemesis Triangle. I think its…" she paused. "If it is Demorielle, this really could be the end this time," she sighed.

"The rangers are a good team, they'll get through it."

"They're good, but they're inexperienced. They haven't learned how to use their powers, or worse, how to combine their powers effectively. If three of them are down, theres only one left out there, and that's not going to be enough to stop Demorielle," she said.

"How many of those morphers does Ethan have left?" he asked.

"Two. Why?"

"Give me one, looks like I'm going to have to go in after them," Trent said.

Hayley stood up, turning to him. "No, if it is Demorielle, that means she'll be on her way here. If that's true, I'm going to need you here," she told him.

"There has to be something we can do," he said.

"There is, we can…"

"Excuse me," a voice said.

The two of them turned around as they saw an older woman walk into the café.

"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, we're closed for the evening. I must not have locked the doors," Trent said, approaching her.

"I'm looking for my daughter, Jennifer Coulbourne. She works here, and she was suppose to be off work over an hour ago. Is she here?" the woman asked.

Hayley hurried over to them. "Oh, hello Ms. Coulbourne. It's completely my fault, I'm sorry. I meant to call you. I sent Jen and another employee over to Angel Grove to pick up supplies. The van got a flat tire and they called from a payphone to let me know they were running behind. Jen asked me to call you, but it slipped my mind," she told her.

"Oh, I see," she paused. "Well, when do you expect them back?"

"I sent road service out to get them, but you know how slow they can be. It shouldn't be much longer though. If you like, when she gets back I will personally drop her off at home," Hayley said.

"Thank you. Could you have her come in quietly? It's getting late and I have to get in the bed," she said.

"Of course Ms. Coulbourne. And again, I apologize. Have a good evening," she sighed.

Ms. Coulbourne nodded, then walked away. Trent waited until she was gone before he turned to Hayley. "Is that Ms. Coulbourne as in Anthony Coulbourne's wife?" he asked her.

"Yep, one and the same," she said.

"So Jen is Anthony's daughter?"

"Uh huh."

"Jen doesn't know, does she?" Trent asked. "You didn't tell her about her dad."

Hayley shook her head. "No, and I don't plan to tell her, not until the time is right," she said. "And either should you. In the meantime, we have other things to worry about."

* * *

Ms. Coulbourne walked over to her car, but paused as a vortex of some kind opened up a few feet from her.

"Oh my God, w-what is…" she was interrupted as a group of demonites attacked her, making their way into every opening they could find. Ms. Coulbourne fell to the ground and found herself unable to scream as the demonites consumed her. Finally, the disorientation passed… and there was no pain. Ms. Coulbourne stood up, glancing around until she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the car window.

"Ah yes. This will do just fine," she said in a deep, distorted tone as orange armor began to form around her skin.

* * *

_"This is all your fault," Spectra complaining as she hung on the side of the cold, damp well. The chains around her wrists held her just barely over the floor, not that it mattered, considering she couldn't even see the floor. The room was so poorly lit that it was difficult to see anything around her._

_"My fault?" he responded._

_It was difficult to know exactly where Tempest Ranger was, but she was sure he was in the same room with her, more than likely chained to another wall. "Yes, your fault Mr. 'Hey complete stranger, take the eye and unleash hell on Earth'. Thanks to you the entire world is doomed," she said._

_"How was I suppose to know it was that Belial guy in disguise? Allumier seemed to know him, I thought he was cool," he said in his defense._

_"Still, Mr. James told you they'd try to fool us, and you just handed it over without even asking him…"_

_"What? Ask him what? Excuse me, are you an evil villain in disguise? Do you really think he would have been like 'yes, I am. You have discovered my secret plans?'" he replied._

_"Both of you stop it, the last thing we need to be doing is fight with each other. We have to find a way out of here, try to hook back up with Allumier and stop them from releasing Demorielle," Aqua Tech pointed out._

_"Easier said than done AT, after all, they wouldn't call it captured if we had the option to leave," Tempest said._

_"Still, if there's a way in, there has to be a way out. We've got our powers, we should use them to get out of here," she said._

_"Just be careful and try not to shoot me this time. My shoulder is still sore," he groaned._

_"I said I was sorry."_

_"I don't see how the power to control weather will do us any good in here, and there is no water around, at least not that I can tell. As for you Spectra, there's plenty of darkness around, so I guess you could work your dark mojo or whatever," Tempest said._

_"You have to combine your powers if you want to escape this place," a voice said._

_"Okay, who the hell was that?" Spectra asked, looking around frantically, but wasn't able to see anything._

_"I assume you are the chosen rangers sent by Ethan to stop Demorielle and save me, huh? Well, color me impressed," the voice said in a sarcastic tone._

_"Predator Ranger?" Aqua Tech asked._

_"Yes, but there isn't time for official introductions just yet. If Demorielle does have the third Eye, she is no doubt already free and looking for ways to attack Earth. We need to get out of here and stop her before she builds up the strength to leave," he said._

_"Wait a sec, how do we know its really you this time?" Tempest asked._

_"Huh?"_

_"Oh sure, now you wanna play 20 questions with him," Spectra brought up._

_"One of you controls water. You can use the water along the walls and focus it. If done correctly, would be more powerful than a laser. I believe one of you has the power to control weather, and a bolt of lightning would shed some light on the situation," Predator pointed out._

_"Its worth a try guys," Aqua Tech said. "Are you ready?"_

_"I've been ready, but I'm still trying to figure out how to work my powers. Its not like I can say a cool catchphrase and out pops the lightning bolt…" he was interrupted as a bolt of lightning appeared from the ceiling, lighting up the entire room for a brief moment. "Whoa, nifty."_

_"During the flash I thought I saw a torch on the wall to the left. You think you could hit it?" Aqua Tech asked._

_"My left or your left?"_

_"Mine."_

_"So that would be my right, right?"_

_"Right?"_

_"But you said left," Tempest pointed out._

_"Guys, this is getting us nowhere. Tempest, on the count of three, do another bolt of lightning, I have an idea," Spectra said._

_"Now is that 1,2, then go? Or 1,2,3, then go?" he asked._

_"Just do it!" she said. Tempest motioned with his hand slightly, and a bolt of lightning shot from the ceiling again. This time, Spectra used her powers to catch and contain the lightning bolt in place, lighting up the entire room. "I don't know how long I can hold it like that. AT, you're up."_

_Aqua Tech concentrated, using her powers to shoot a beam of water towards Tempest, who was on the opposite wall. The beam of water got smaller and smaller, until eventually it was pencil thin. She then aimed it towards the constraints on his wrists, breaking them and sending him falling to the floor. Tempest landed on his feet, rubbing his wrists slightly._

_"Okay, my turn," he said, shooting lightning bolts at the restraints holding Aqua Tech in place. As she fell to the floor, Tempest repeated the process, freeing Predator Ranger._

_"Um, hello. What about me?" Spectra asked._

_"I seem to remember you saying this was all my fault, now it looks like you need my help. Interesting, isn't it?" he asked her._

_"Whatever," she paused for a moment, focusing her energy and snapping the restraints herself, falling to the ground. "You were saying?"_

_"Okay, we're down, but now what? We're still stuck in here," Aqua Tech pointed out._

_"If my powers were at 100 percent, I could phase us through the walls, but I've been in here a long time and I'm weak," Predator said._

_"You can do that?"_

_"Yes. Well, at least I could if I had all my power. We'll need to find another way."_

_"Leave that to me," Spectra twisted her wrist slightly, and a beam of dark energy came from her hands, sliding under the crack on what looked like a door. She then raised her hands slightly, and the door began to raise up. "I won't be able to hold it forever, so I suggest you get moving."_

_One by one, then kneeled down, making their way under the door. Spectra moved as close as she could, then dived towards the exit. She rolled through just as it slammed to the ground._

_"We should split up," he turned to Aqua Tech. "You, come with me, we're going to head to the main chamber and try to get the Eyes of Thoron. You two head the other way and see about setting down the generator that keeps the force shield up around this place. Once its down, Ethan and Hayley should be able to teleport us out of here," Predator said._

_They nodded, and then headed off in separate directions._

* * *

_Demorielle walked over to a window in his chamber, staring out into the jungle. After being trapped within the symbol of Thoron for so long, she'd forgotten what it was to be free, to be in open places again. Everything was new to her, as if she was experiencing things for the first time. Her mind drifted slightly… 'I remember,' she thought._

_She recalled a time on her home world as an enchantress, spreading love and happiness to everyone she met. It pleased her to bring joy to so many people, but then the demonites invaded her world. Being led for a powerful warrior, they were able to enslave most of the planet. Those who refused to give in to their oppressors were destroyed, but the demonites had other plans for her. It was their intentions to use her abilities as an enchantress to rule over other worlds. She resisted, but the demonites who possessed her were much too powerful._

_She didn't remember much else about her world before the invasion. All that was left now was a sense of pleasure… 'pleasure of watching those around me suffer. Serve me or be punished,' she thought._

_At that moment, a portal opened, and Belial stepped through, standing alongside Demorielle._

_"My queen, you have returned," he said, dropping to one knee._

_"You may rise my old friend," she turned slightly. "You wasted no time in getting another host," she noticed._

_"This one isn't as strong as the other, but it will serve my purpose. The memories contained within this host are useful as well. It was the wife of Anthony Coulbourn. The knowledge of this host will benefit us greatly," he paused. "When does our invasion of Earth begin?"_

_"I am weak. Being trapped between dimensions have left me depleted of most of my strength. Soon, my powers will be restored and this miserable galaxy will tremble at my feet," she assured him. "And you my friend shall rule by my side in your own body, free of these pathetic meat puppets you're forced to wear," she said._

_"It will be good to be myself again," he agreed._

_"Let us not celebrate yet, there is still much to be done. The rangers have escaped their cell and are making their way here, towards us," she said._

_"These warriors are inexperienced, I will crush them."_

_"Do not underestimate them, they have incredible powers, and they are being led by the Predator Ranger. Defeating them will be a difficult task," Demorielle said._

_Belial extended his hand, and a sword appeared. "It will be a pleasure to watch them die by my hand. Then, I will bring you their powers to use as your own," he said._

_"Very good," she said with a sinister smile._

* * *

"Welcome to the Aqua Base," Ms. Fairweather said as she stood aside, allowing Jake to walk in.

The entire complex appeared to be state of the art. There were members of personnel walking back and forth from their duty shifts, and others standing at their stations completing their work.

"This is amazing," he sighed.

"Yeah, I hear that a lot. This is my central base of operations. I am able to monitor the health of every active ranger here, as well as Hayley, Ethan and Trent," she said.

"Trent? The busboy? Why would you…" he paused. "Oh."

Ms. Fairweather walked over to one of the terminals, going over some of the readings. "According to this, the only ranger still active is Allumier ranger, but we're unable to teleport her because she is too close to the force shield on the island. If she were only a few more feet away, we could…"

"Can we contact her?"

"No, communications aren't that advanced yet. She's literally in another dimension, and our systems don't extend that far," she told him.

"Can you send me there?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then do it," Jake said.

"Jake, I know you want to find your brother, but…"

"I said do it," he repeated.

"Rushing off and getting yourself killed won't be any of us any good. At least let us coordinate with Hayley before you do anything," she said.

"She's right, you're of no use to us dead," a woman said as she walked into the room with a clipboard in hand.

"Jake, this is my assistant Gabrielle, she's from Bio-Lab in Silver Hills. She created and implemented the tracking systems that allow me to keep up with you and the other rangers. Gaby, this is Jake, the White Blizzard Ranger," she introduced.

"White Blizzard, huh? Like snow could be any other color," Gaby mocked.

"Well, there's yellow snow, but I don't suggest you eat it," he turned to Ms. Fairweather. "Okay, I get how you knew who I was, you can track me with your tracky thingie, but how did the big orange guy know who I was in civilian form?" he asked.

"As far as we could tell, he was able to track your energy signature. He didn't know which ranger you were, but the power levels you were emitting was enough for him to know you were a ranger," she said.

"It's a good thing he's following the super villain handbook. Rule number two, push'em off a cliff but don't stop to check if he's dead or not. It's a typical bad guy oversight," Jake said.

"He's witty, I like that," Gaby said. "But your wit and a quarter won't buy me a cup of coffee in the mess hall. Save your sarcasm and focus on finding a way to save the world. Once you've done that, feel free to be charming."

Jake cracked a smile. "You think I'm charming, huh?"

Gaby rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to contact Hayley, see what she knows," Ms. Fairweather said.

* * *

"Its getting late Hayley, and there's still no word from any of the rangers. I think its time that you sent me to the Nemesis Triangle to try to find them," Trent said as he walked over to her, handing her a cup of coffee.

"No, that's a last resort. I still have faith that…" she stopped as her computer began to beep. She turned to the monitor, turning it on. "Angela, what's going on?" she asked.

_"I found this guy falling off the side of a cliff, can I keep him?"_ she replied.

_"Um, hi,"_ Jake said, waving slightly.

Hayley did a quick scan. "Its White Blizzard Ranger. We've been looking all over for you," she said.

_"He's alive and well in Marnier Bay,"_ she paused. _"I know you've picked up the elevated energy levels in the Nemesis Triangle, and according to our readings, the rangers are down. We need to come up with a plan of action,"_ she said.

"I don't think the rangers are down. It could be that the protective barrier surrounding the fortress is masking their signals from us. If we could get that barrier down, we'd be able to get an internal scan and find out what's going on in there," Hayley pointed out.

_"Blizzard Ranger wants to go in. According to censors, Allumier Ranger is outside the barrier, but too close to it for us to teleport her out,"_ she said.

"Sending him in right now is a bad idea. If these readings are accurate, it means Demorielle is on her way here. We're going to need all available rangers on Earth to try to stop her," she said.

_"You know as well as I do that there aren't anymore rangers. The last team we sent into the Triangle was lost years ago, and there's no way they survived that long. Face it Hayley, your rangers are all we've got,"_ Ms. Fairweather said.

"We could construct new morphers, maybe…"

_"It took us months to come up with the design for the Virtual morphers, another year to find a suitable power source and eight months to properly test them and install all the failsafe protocols. By the time we did all that again, it would be too late,"_ she said.

"What about the Lightspeed morphers?"

_"The central core from the Lightspeed morphers were used as templates for the Virtual morphers. The morphers themselves are still in one piece, but are completely powerless,"_ she said.

"Is there any way to contact Andros and the other Astro rangers?"

_"No, they're is out of communications range,"_ Ms. Fairweather said.

"So it really is up to them, isn't it?"

_"Unless Dr. Oliver has a trick up his sleeve and has some power he's not telling us about,"_ she said.

_"Wait, Dr. Oliver? The teacher with the spiked hair and always gave the lame pop quizzes? He was a ranger too? Sweet!"_ Jake said. _"Next you'll tell me that Principal Randal was a ranger too."_

_"No, she was evil,"_ Gaby pointed out.

_"That explains a lot!"_

_"Our priority should be getting Allumier back here. If the rangers are alive and on the other side of the barrier, they're on their own. We have to make our stand here,"_ Ms. Fairweather said.

"Agreed."

_"Send me in. I'll get Allumier and come right back,"_ Jake said.

Ms. Fairweather glanced over at Hayley, looking for her opinion.

"Let him go, but come right back. Don't try to be a hero," she said.

_"Me? A hero? Please, I couldn't even tie my shoes until I was twelve years old,"_ he said as he pulled out his morpher, pushing a button. A portal opened, and he stepped through, disappearing.

_"If that guy is our last line of defense, the world is doomed,"_ Gaby sighed.

* * *

_Red Predator Ranger and Aqua Tech Ranger roamed through the halls of the fortress quietly, doing their best not to be seen by various henchmen and foot soldiers walking through the halls. The fortress itself was like a labyrinth, and with very poor lighting, it as difficult to know where they were or if they were headed in the right direction._

_"So, how long have you been in here?" Aqua Tech asked him._

_"I-I don't know. I didn't exactly have a calendar in here and was marking off the days. It was longer than I wanted to be in here," he paused, leaning up against the wall. "So Liz… rather, Allumier Ranger, is okay?"_

_"Yeah. She's a bitch, but she's just fine."_

_He laughed slightly. "She could be a little… bossy," he sighed._

_"You'll have to sit down and tell me all about it after we save the universe, but right now, we need to find the Eyes and get out of here," she said._

_Predator pressed a button on his wrist, and a small holographic screen appeared. "According to this, the Eyes aren't too far out, but the power levels are low. Someone has used them, which means Demorielle is already free," he said._

_"So getting the Eyes won't do us any good then."_

_"She has been contained for a long time, and that means she'll need time to gain her strength before she can do anything. Getting the Eyes won't stop her, but it will prevent her from using its remaining powers. Plus, it looks like there's enough energy in them to restore me to full power," he told her._

_"So, lets get'em and get the hell out of here."_

_"Not so fast rangers," a voice said._

_The two of them turned around only to see Belial standing behind them with a sword in hand._

_"Oh great. We spend all that time escaping just to get caught again. We suck at stealthy," Aqua Tech sighed._

_

* * *

"I know you," Spectra said as the two of them walked down a corridor._

_Her statement was enough to catch Tempest's attention. "You what?"_

_"I know who you are. Its weird, cuz if I can figure out who everyone on this team is in less than two days, its amazing that the rangers over the last ten years have been able to keep their identities to themselves," she said._

_"So if you've got it all figured out, who am I?"_

_"You're Carl," she said._

_"What?"_

_"ZetaGreen is a friend of mine, and he designed my ranger gear and Tempest ranger. When I talked to Zeta he told me he didn't make it to the café to be in the game, but said that his friend Carl might have used his character. By process of elimination, you're Carl," she told him._

_"Is that your final answer?" he laughed._

_"It makes perfect sense."_

_"It does, but you're overlooking one very important thing."_

_"Which is?"_

_"I lied," he told her._

_"What?"_

_The two of them stopped, turning to one another. "When I talked to you, I told you I wasn't at the café because we were told to keep our identities a secret. The truth is, I waited for you at the café and hoped you'd show up. When I saw someone pick your ranger, I got excited, but when I talked to you later, you said you weren't there either," he told her._

_"You mean…"_

_"This is one of those dramatic moments where I'm suppose to take off my helmet and show you who I am, but I don't know if we can," he paused. "But yeah, its me, Patrick," he revealed._

_"Oh my God," she ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Its so good to finally meet you. Its me, RC," she told him._

_"I hoped it was you."_

_"I wanted to tell you, but…"_

_"I know, its okay. I understand, but lets not mention this to anyone else. If Mr. James knew we blew our cover, he'd be pissed," Spectra said._

_"I have a feeling that Mr. James has other things to worry about," a voice said. The two of them turned around only to see Belial standing behind them. "Come quietly or come screaming. Either way, you are coming with me."_

_Spectra and Tempest looked at one another, nodded, then looked back at Belial._

_"Carl, is that you?" Tempest asked._

_"What?"_

_"This is the ranger gear that Carl and I designed together, which means you're Carl. You may have gotten possessed by one of those demon things, but deep down, its still you in there," he told him._

_"The human host Carl has been destroyed, as you will be soon enough."_

_"Well, that's all I needed to hear," Spectra said as she shot an energy beat at Belial._

_Belial simply caught the energy in his hand, holding it like a small sphere. "You have power, I am impressed, but its not nearly enough to defeat me," he said._

_"Okay, how about this?" Tempest asked as he shot three bolts of lightning at him, connecting with Belial's chest. Belial stumbled back slightly, and then responded by throwing the ball of energy at them. The blast was enough to take the time of them down._

_"Demorielle was right, you do have power, but it will do you no good against me," he said._

_He leaned down, grabbing each of their ankles and simply drug them away.

* * *

_

_Allumier Ranger stood outside the force field, staring at the dark fortress. She knew she had the ability to get in herself, 'but then what?' she thought to herself. Demorielle and Belial had proven themselves as more than worthy opponents, able to trick the other rangers and capture them. She knew that she would be no threat to them alone._

_'If only Predator was with me,' she thought to herself. 'We could combine our powers and get them out of there.'_

_Her thoughts were interrupted as portal opened, and White Blizzard Ranger stepped through, walking over to her. "Ta da!" he said. "And for my next trick, I'm going to get you the hell out of here."_

_"I'm not going anywhere without Predator ranger and the others," she said._

_"Something told me you'd be stubborn about this," he paused. "Do you have a plan on getting in?" he asked her._

_"I can get it, but I'm not sure what good it'll do. The others have already been captured, and my power alone won't be enough to stop Demorielle," she said._

_"Then we should work together."_

_"What?"_

_"You have a better chance if we go in there together," Blizzard said._

_"No, I won't risk your life like that. Go back where ever you came from. This is my problem, I'll deal with it," she said._

_"Hate to sound cliché on you lady, but there's no I in team. Sure, there's an e and an a in there, which are vowels, but no I. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted a morpher, so I say we go in there and we kick some demon ass!" he told her._

_She turned to him._

_"You're sure?"_

_"Positive."_

_"Okay," she reached over, grabbing his hand. "Hold on, this could get bumpy," she told him._

_He felt a wave of… something wash over him. He wasn't sure what it was, or how to explain it, all he knew was that it was an odd feeling. The two of them them stepped through the force field as if it wasn't even there, stopping on the other side. Once they were through, Allumier let go of his hand, and the feeling that had consumed him earlier was gone._

_"Whoa," he sighed._

_Allumier pressed a button on her wrist, and a small holographic map popped up. "I'm assuming that the force field is preventing Ethan and the others from getting a lock on the others. We need to take out the force field and let them teleport us out. Once the field is gone, they should be able to get a positive lock on Predator Ranger too," she said._

_"Well, lets go it."

* * *

_

"Oh no," Ms. Fairweather rushed over to the opposite control panel in the Aqua Base, going over the readings. "We've lost the signal on Jake. I knew sending him in there was a bad idea," she sighed.

"He's about as smart as yellow snow," Gaby sighed.

"We also lost the only signal on Allumier that we had. That's it, its over. All the rangers are either captured or presumed dead. We failed, just like we did the last time," she told her.

"There is one more thing we haven't tried," she said.

Ms. Fairweather looked up. "What did you have in mind?"

"Something I've been working on in my spare time for a while now," Gaby said, reaching under her lab coat and revealing…

"The Dragon Dagger!" Ms. Fairweather exclaimed.


	7. Catastrophe pt III

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

**

* * *

Saturday March 5th, 2005 12:04am ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"Oh no," Ms. Fairweather rushed over to the opposite control panel in the Aqua Base, going over the readings. "We've lost the signal on Jake. I knew sending him in there was a bad idea," she sighed.

"He's about as smart as yellow snow," Gaby sighed.

"We also lost the only signal on Allumier that we had. That's it, its over. All the rangers are either captured or presumed dead. We failed, just like we did the last time," she told her.

"There is one more thing we haven't tried," she said.

Ms. Fairweather looked up. "What did you have in mind?"

"Something I've been working on in my spare time for a while now," Gaby said, reaching under her lab coat and revealing…

"The Dragon Dagger!" Ms. Fairweather exclaimed. She walked over to Gaby, taking the dagger, looking at the various symbols. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked her.

Gaby nodded. "Yes, the engravings on the dagger are early incarnations of the Symbol of Thoron. I did some digging, which is hard considering that they don't have books on Thoron at the local library, and I discovered the Dragon Dagger is based in that mythology. I don't know all the details, but I suspect that the dagger was used in some ceremony that originally trapped the demons in the Nemesis Triangle," she explained.

"But how did Rita Repulsa get her hands on it all those years ago?"

"I'm not sure, but based on my research, the demons were trapped in the Nemesis Triangle over 10,000 years ago. The dagger made its way to Rita, but she in turn game it to her evil green ranger. According to the stories, the dagger was eventually left in the past in the hands of Tommy Oliver's clone. About five years ago, it was in a museum, but came up missing along with the curator. The incident was swept under the rug by local police," she told her.

"What do you plan to do with the dagger?"

"My theory is that with sufficient power, it would be weapon against Demorielle. I hoped that we could use it to lower the force field surrounding the dark fortress, but I can't find a capable power source for it. I've tried everything, even the power from the Quantum morpher, but its not enough. Whatever this thing needs to power it, its more than I can dish out," Gaby said.

"How is that possible?"

"All I am sure of is that the dagger isn't solely based on technology. If has… for lack of a better term, a mystic force that surrounds it. I can't duplicate it," she said.

"So what you're saying is the dagger could be exactly what we need to defeat Demorielle, but we don't know how to work the damn thing?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I'll call a friend of mine, see if there's anything he can do it with. Until then, we'll have to hope that the rangers can find a way to shut down the force field from the inside," she walked over to a control panel. "I'll run a progressive scan. The moment their signals are back online, I'll teleport them out," she said.

* * *

_"Yep, we're never getting out of here," Spectra sighed, standing in the main chamber of the dark fortress. Her wrists had chained her to the wall, facing the symbol on the opposite wall._

_"Thanks for your show of support Spectra. You never know, we just may find a way out of here," Tempest replied, finding himself chained to the wall next to her._

_"Even if we did, you'd just hand over the Eye again and we'll be stuck here again."_

_"That was harsh."_

_"It's getting us nowhere either, so stop it," Predator Ranger chimed in._

_"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about our glorious leader. You organized an escape and led us right back where we started. Yep, I see why you got the red suit," Spectra sighed._

_"Come on guys, we escaped once and we can do it again. We just have to use our powers and…" Aqua Tech was cut short as Demorielle walked into the room slowly, observing them._

_"You'll come to discover that your powers will not work here. The Symbol of Thoron is neutralizing them. Even as we speak, your powers are being drained by the Symbol, and those powers will be used to return me to full strength. When it does, your world is doomed," she told them._

_"This chick has definitely been reading the bad guy handbook. Rule #17; when you have the good guys trapped, instead of just finishing them off, monolog them to death," Tempest brought up._

_"All she needs to do now is reveal the master plan to us and she'll be your stereotypical villain," Aqua Tech added._

_"Wait, shes a girl… well, kinda. Wouldn't that make her a villianess?" Spectra asked._

_"That's not a word."_

_"Sure it is, look it up."_

_"The second I get home I'll whip out my dictionary, but for right now, I believe she was going to reveal the rest of her plan to us. Lets listen," Tempest said._

_The almost pleasant disposition on Demorielle's face quickly turned to anger. "You pathetic rangers try my patience. Make no mistake, I may not be at full strength," she reached her arm out towards Tempest, and even though she was still several feet away, he began to choke, gasping for air. "But I still have more than enough power to siphon the life force from each one of you," she turned to Predator Ranger. "I will kill him, and you know it. Tell me where the Dagger of Thoron is."_

_"You think I give a shit if you kill him? I don't even know that kid," Predator said._

_"You value human life, and if you don't tell me what I want to know, I will end his," she told him._

_"And then you still won't know where the dagger is. The way I see it, you're in no position to make demands at all. I have something you want, and without me, you'll never get it," he brought up._

_"If I don't have what I want, each of them will die."_

_"And you still won't have it," he pointed out._

_"She's killing him!" Spectra called out. "Just tell her what she wants to know."_

_"Why? So she can kill us all the second I do? As long as I know where it is, she needs me," he said._

_"Well that works out great for you, but not all of us have the benefit of inside information. Now tell her so she'll let him go," Aqua Tech said._

_"No," Predator said firmly._

_Demorielle increased her grip on Tempest, who was struggling to breath, all the while she stared directly at Red Predator Ranger. "His death will be on your hands," she told him._

_"And you still won't have it," he repeated._

_"This is insane! Stop it now," Aqua Tech snapped._

_"When I am done with him, I will move on to the next ranger, and the next, until eventually all of you are dead. Then…"_

_"… you still won't have it. Now, release him, and maybe I'll consider telling you," Predator told her._

_"You foolish mortal, you have no idea the power I possess!" Demorielle snapped._

_"Bad guy handbook rule #9; all bad guys will be distracted long enough for the good guy's friends to rush in and save the day," he said._

_Before Demorielle could turn around, it was Blizzard Ranger who connected with a spin kick to the jaw. Demorielle fell to the floor, forcing her to release her hold on Tempest. She got back to her feet, but Allumier landed a sabat kick, knocking her against the wall._

_"Your attempt at a rescue is pathetic," she groaned as her eyes began to glow red, and she shot energy beams shot out of her hands, knocking both Blizzard and Allumier up against the wall. "The dagger no longer concerns me, I will crush each one of you for the sheer enjoyment of it."_

_She made her way towards Red Predator Ranger, ready to finish him off._

_"That's it, I'm officially pissed off," a voice said._

_Demorielle turned around in enough time to see Ethan snatching the Eyes of Thoron out of the symbol on the wall. "You fool, you have no idea what you're doing," she said._

_"If it has you that worried, it has to be a good thing," he said, tossing one of the Eyes to Predator._

_Almost instantly, Predator's powers were restored, and he phased out of his restraints. "Rangers, the Eyes have been removed. Your powers should work now. Its time to finish her off once and for all," he said._

_One by one, the rangers used their powers to break free of their restraints._

_Tempest shot a lightning bolt at Demorielle, catching her in the chest with it. It was enough to knock her up against the wall. Aqua Tech shot water at her, and Blizzard Ranger used his powers to freeze it, trapping Demorielle up against the wall. Finally, it was Spectra who took a step forward, forming a small ball of energy in her hands._

_"You was talkin' all that shit earlier, but you look at you now. You're not so tough," she said, releasing the energy._

_The ball connected with Demorielle, and there was an explosion, enough to knock all of them backwards. Smoke filled the room, but the rangers were able to regroup._

* * *

"Something is happening," Ms. Fairweather said, rushing over to the controls.

"Can you be more specific?"

"There is a huge energy build up in the Nemesis Triangle. It looks like someone is trying to activate the Eyes of Thoron," she said.

"Look," Gaby called out, turning her attention to the Dragon Dagger. "It's glowing."

"Okay, something is definitely going on. With this much power being released, it has to be a strain on their shields. Try to modify the teleportation unit," she said.

"I'm on it," she said, running over to another control panel.

* * *

_"Is that it?" Tempest asked._

_"I think so," Aqua Tech said._

_Finally, the smoke settled down, and Demorille was standing there without a scratch on her. "Nice try," she said, shooting energy beams out of her eyes, hitting both Aqua Tech and Tempest in the chest, knocking them through the wall. Predator swung his blades at her, but she side stepped him, spun around and forced him to stab Allumier in the chest with it, then threw both of them across the room. Blizzard used his powers to throw ice at her, but she waved her hand slightly, and the ice melted before it even came close to her._

_With them out of the way, she turned to Ethan, who still had two of the Eyes in his hand. "Give them to me, or perish," she told him._

_"You can't take them from me, I have to give them willingly," he reminded her._

_"True, but that rule will no longer apply when you're dead," she said. She used her tails to pick Ethan up off the ground and hold him in front of her, and then began to choke the life out of him._

* * *

"The build up is leveling off, but the readings are still off the chart," Ms. Fairweather pointed out. 

"I'm just about ready over here, do we still have a lock on the rangers?" Gaby asked.

"Yes."

"Good. I should be able to get to modify the beam and get a stable transport out of it," she paused. "Oh no."

"Oh no? Oh no what?"

"How many rangers are there?" she asked.

"All six of them, and I'm assuming Ethan and Jake's brother Carl is there as well," Ms. Fairweather said.

"The teleportation unit doesn't have enough energy to transport them all. It looks like I have enough power for three, maybe four of them," she turned around. "We won't be able to save them all."

* * *

_Red Predator Ranger got back to his feet, rushing at Demorielle again, but she gave him a backhand that knocked him against the wall._

_"Foolish rangers, there is nothing you can do. My power over this world and every other is absolute."_

* * *

"Tell me you've got something," Ms. Fairweather said. 

"I'm rerouting emergency power through to the transportation system. It'll more than likely blow out every relay system in the Aqua Base, but I should be able to get six of them, maybe seven," she said.

"That's not enough."

"Its about to have to be. We're out of power. Besides, we're still waiting for the shields to go down. Until they do, none of this will matter," Gaby said.

* * *

_Carl opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself face down on the floor. His body ached, and the room seemed to be spinning. The disorientation was getting to him, but he was able to recall the events leading up to that moment. He remembered being in the bathroom at the café, but then his mind went blank. His next clear memory was staring upwards at a woman, but he couldn't recall who she was._

_Soon, the room stopped spinning, and he noticed a set of controls on the far end of the room. He had no idea what they did, nor did he have the strength to get to them. Not that it mattered, he could fell himself slipping away again. He was barely conscious, barely coherent enough to know that it was only a matter of time before he was gone._

_"This sucks," he groaned._

* * *

_Ethan was fading fast, and with all of the rangers down, there seemed to be no escape. Ethan managed to kick forward, connecting with Demorielle's chest in an attempt break her hold… but nothing. Just then, he realized he had the Eyes of Thoron in hand, and with the last of his strength, put them together, causing a flash of light that enough enough to make Demorielle fall back, covering her eyes._

_"You ignorant human, you will pay for that!" she screamed._

_Ethan gasped, trying to catch his breath as he made it back to his feet, looking down at both of the Eyes in hand, then cracked a smile._

_"This reminds me of Super Ninja Quest 4 for the Gamecube. You're the evil Pharaoh, and I'm the exalted demon hunter Rogue. And this is the final level," he said, combining the Eyes again. This time, it was enough to send Demorielle crashing through the floor._

_Ethan walked over to Predator Ranger, picking up the third Eye, but before he could do anything with them, Demorielle flew through the hole she fell in, standing in front of him with an evil look in her eyes._

_"Your efforts have failed human."_

* * *

_Carl managed to make it to his feet, but wasn't sure how much good it was going to do him. While he struggled, his mind was able to piece together other events. He recalled being possessed by… something. He was conscious the whole there, and able to see what was happening, but unable to stop it. He recalled throwing someone over a cliff, it was… 'Oh God, Jake,' he sighed._

_As he continued to make it to his feet, Belial, who had his sword in hand, confronted him._

_"And to think, I disgraced myself by bonding with you. Pathetic," he said, shoving Carl with one hand, sending him up against the control panel on the wall. "Killing you here and now would end your suffering, but I plan to make your death as painful as possible."_

_Belial cocked back, swinging his sword. Carl, realizing it was over for him, stumbled to the ground at just the right moment. Belial's sword went through the panel, and shocks shot out of it. Electricity began to surge through Belial's body, forcing him to fall over as well._

* * *

"The shield, its down," Gaby said. 

"Get them out of there."

"I'm reading nine human life signs, but three of them are very weak. With the shields gone, I should be to get them all," she paused. "Theres something else. I'm getting a reading on all three of the Eyes of Thoron. I should be able to muster up enough reserve power to transport them as well," she said. "Preparing transport sequence."

* * *

_The rangers stood alongside Ethan, all of them turning their attention to Demorielle, who had been backed into a corner. She glanced around, looking for a way out, but with no luck._

_"This ends now," Ethan said, picking up all three Eyes and putting them together._

_"Combining the Eyes will…"_

_"I know, destroy you," he told her._

_Spectra used her powers to restrain Demorielle up against the wall as Ethan began to chant in latin._

_"Vox Saevio Universum est iam opus in poema poematis duos. In meus sententia , is silicis. Reprehendo sicco nostrum site vel EGO mos transporto volatilis monachus essum vestri splendidus," he said, and the Eyes began to glow._

_The Eyes floated away from him, hovering near the Symbol itself. The Symbol began to glow, and soon, the entire fortress was shaking._

_"What's happening?"_

_"The ritual of entrapment! I WILL NOT GO BACK!" Demorielle screamed._

_"Doesn't look like you have a choice. Soon you'll be trapped in your dimension again, and there will be no way for you too…" he paused as all three of the Eyes disappeared. "What the…" he turned around as Spectra and Tempest disappeared as well. "Oh great, just great," he sighed, disappearing himself._

_Soon, all of the rangers disappeared, leaving Demorielle alone in the chamber. She got back to her feet, dusting herself off. "I am nearly at full power. Now nothing will be able to stop me," she groaned._

* * *

The six of them materialized in the Aqua Base, where Ms. Fairweather was standing by. 

"Welcome back you guys," she said.

It was Rick who helped up Liz, who was bleeding. "We have to get her to the infirmary now!" he insisted.

"Come with me," Gaby said, escorting him out of the room.

"What happened? What's going on?" Ethan asked.

"We were able to transport all of you and the Eyes out of the Nemesis Triangle. It took all of our power to do it, but we managed to get it done," Ms. Fairweather told him.

"We were seconds away from completely the ritual of entrapment," he sighed.

"I-I didn't know," she sighed.

The rangers took a moment, glancing around the room, and more importantly, at one another. It was Jen who walked over to Elaine, pausing slightly. "I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure. I just wanted to say…" she was cut short.

"If this is about the smoothie incident, don't worry about it. I was being a bitch," she told her.

"No, I was going to tell you that you still owe me two dollars for that smoothie," she said.

"So Jen is Spectra Ranger, and Elaine here is obviously Aqua Tech," he turned to Jake. "That would mean you're Blizzard Ranger," Patrick pointed out.

"Patrick always did have a flair for the obvious," Jen sighed.

Ethan turned to them. "I'd hoped that none of you would ever learn your true identities, but now that you have, we have to make the best of you. All of you did well back there, and we were this close to beating Demorielle once and for all. Next time it won't be as easy, and now, she's a lot more powerful. Its going to take everything we have to stop her," he explained.

"But why isn't it over? I mean, we have all three of the Eyes of what's-his-name, what can she really do?" Jen asked.

"Shes free, and with each passing moment she gets more powerful. She will find a way to our dimension, and when she does, even your ranger powers combined might not be enough," Ethan said.

"Wait. What about my brother? What about Carl?" Jake asked.

"Carl is your brother?" Patrick asked.

Jake nodded.

"Your brother and another person were transported directly to the infirmary. They're life signs were the lowest and we knew they would need medical attention the quickest. I assure you, your brother is just fine," Ms. Fairweather said.

"Can I see him?"

"Yes, its down the hall and the last door on the left. You can't miss it," she said.

"I'll go with him. I'm hoping there's a damn bathroom there, too," Jen said, following Jake out the room.

"Okay Mr. James, so what's the plan?" Elaine asked.

"I want all of you to go home, take the day off, relax. Things are only going to get worse from this point on, and you're going to need all the rest you can get. I need all of you at 100 perfect if we're going to stand a chance against Demorielle," he said.

"We're going to need something more, something to give us an advantage, but what?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

The doors slid open, and _he_ walked into the room with the Dragon Dagger in hand.

"I think I have the answer to that question," the man said.

Ethan paused, getting a good look at him. "Cam?"


	8. Conumdrum

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

**

* * *

Saturday March 5th, 2005 3:04am ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"Okay, this is what we know so far…" Cam walked over to the control panel, pressing a button. A small holographic in the middle of the table appeared, and everyone sitting around the table turned their attention to it. "About 10,000 years ago, demons ruled the Earth. A small band of wizards and warriors were able to fight them off and restore peace not only to Earth, but the universe. The three demons who led the assault against the human race weren't killed, but confined by mystic energy and banished to an alternate dimension, the Nemesis Triangle," the image quickly changed. "This is Maligore, the first of the three demons. The only way for him to be released was to consume the goodness of two humans were pure of heart. According to reports, Jason Scott and Kimberly Hart were sacrificed to the demon to raise him, but the Turbo rangers defeated him and their souls were restored. The second of the demons was Dark Spector, who assumed control of the Dark Alliance and came close to controlling the entire universe. The details on how he was released are still sketchy at best, but he was betrayed by on of his soldiers and destroyed. Zordon, who sacrificed himself to save the universe, wiped out the remaining evil in the galaxy. The final demon is…" he was interrupted.

"Demorielle, right?" Ethan asked.

"Actually, no. Demorielle is only a servant to the third demon, Thoron."

"So there's someone worse than Demorielle out there?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"He is considered the most powerful of the three, and for that reason, the wizards responsible made it close to impossible for him to be released for his mystic prison. First, you need all three of the Eyes of Thoron to release Demorielle, and only after she's released can Thoron be brought forth," Cam explained.

"But how?"

"The details on that seem to be lost. There are inscriptions, and I have been able to decipher part of it. There is a lot of gibberish, but the only phrase that repeats over and over is 'only with the liquid key shall he rise'. I've references and cross-referenced the liquid key, but there is nothing," he told them.

"How does the Dragon Dagger come into play?" Gaby asked.

"I don't know. We know it bares symbols that relate to Thoron, but what its function is escapes us. I'll keep looking, but for now, the dagger itself seems to hold no real purpose," he said.

"I suggest that all of us head home for now, try to get some rest. We're in possession of the Eyes, and Demorielle is nowhere near full strength yet. We're safe for now. We'll all meet back in this afternoon and see what we can come up with. Thank all of you for your extra efforts," Ms. Fairweather said.

One by one, they all stood up, making their way out the control center. Ethan waited for everyone to leave before he approached Ms. Fairweather. "I gotta admit, I'm worried. If Cam couldn't figure it out, I don't know if…"

"Cam is one of the smartest men I've ever known, and collectively, the group of people we have working on this are the most intelligent in the world. If there is an answer, we'll find it. I promise you," she assured him.

"I hope so," Ethan sighed.

* * *

Jen opened her eyes slowly, only to find herself in her bed. It seemed as though it had been weeks since she'd gotten a good night's sleep, much less in her own bed, but it was nonetheless refreshing. With a sigh she rose to her feet, wrapping her housecoat around herself and heading over to her closet, searching for something to wear.

It amazed her that her closet was filled with mostly dark color clothes. No signs of pink or anything else bright for that matter. Over the years she'd gotten away from what her mother called 'feminine clothes' and found herself drawn to darker colors; black, brown, gray. It didn't take her long to decide on a pair of jeans and a purple cut off shirt. Before she could remove her housecoat to get dressed, her morpher began to beep.

She hurried over to her nightstand, picking up the morpher.

"This is Spectra, go ahead," she said.

_"We're off duty, remember? No need to be all formal,"_ a voice said.

She immediately recognized the voice. "Hello Patrick."

_"I was curious, what did you have planned for today?"_ he asked.

"I was just going to sleep, try to train a little. Why?"

_"A new music store is opening across town and there's gonna be a big sale. I was thinkin' you'd want to go check it out… with me," _he said.

"Are you asking me out?"

"I would call it 'asking you out' per say. More like we'd be going outside, and we'd go there together. Not like a 'date' date or something, just two friends hangin' out," he said. "Besides, just in case something goes wrong and we have to ranger up, it'll be good for us to already be together, ya know?"

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "It makes sense, I guess. Count me in."

_"Great… I mean," he paused. "Oh, that's cool. Meet me at the café in an hour,"_ he told her.

"See ya then."

She set her morpher down and glanced over at herself in the mirror; surprised to see she was blushing. "What are you looking at? He just said its not a 'date' date, so stop all that giggly shit," she said, removing her housecoat and throwing it over the mirror.

* * *

Rick sat in the infirmary, leaning against the wall simply watching as the doctor attended to Liz. He kept going over the incident in his mind; they were fighting, Demorielle got the best of him, she forced him to stab Liz in the stomach. He tried his best to stop it, to avoid hitting her, but there was nothing he could do. That worried him.

_'Demorielle isn't even at full strength yet, and if I don't have enough stop her now, I'll be no match for her when she is,'_ he thought to himself.

Liz was simply laying there, connected to machines. She hadn't moved or said a word since it happened, and Rick couldn't help but assume the worst. Finally, the doctor walked over to him.

"How is she doc?" he asked.

"I won't lie to you, the cut is deep and its pretty bad. She lost a lot of blood, but I've stitched up the wound and she's resting comfortably. It'll be a few weeks before she'll be ready to use her ranger powers again. Doing so would cause even more internal damage," she told him.

"But what are we suppose to do without her? We'll need her when it…"

"I understand that, but I'm telling you that if she tries to fight, it will kill her," she said.

He sighed. "Thank you Dr. Mitchell," he sighed.

"I'll keep you apprised of her situation," she paused. "And please, just call me Dana," she said with a cheerful smile.

* * *

"Yeah, it's a date," Elaine told him as she sat down at the table, taking a sip of her smoothie.

Patrick paced back and forth in the café, trying to keep himself calm. "Its not. I just want to go check out this new store is all, and I didn't want to go by myself," he pointed out.

"So why didn't you ask me? Or that Rick guy?" she asked him.

Patrick looked around, making sure there was no one around, then moved in close to Elaine. "Rick is still at the Aqua Base with Liz, it looks like she was hurt pretty bad. Besides, I didn't know what you had planned for today," he said. "Maybe you wanted to just stay here and make googly eyes at Trent all afternoon."

"What? I don't…"

"Oh please, everyone sees it. You've got a thing for him. Why not make a move?"

"Because… he's got a girlfriend. He's been dating that Kira girl," she sighed.

"Word is Kira isn't even around anymore. She's out traveling trying to get her music career off the ground. This is probably the best time for you to make your move on him," he told her.

"I don't make moves. I'm a girl, we get moved in on," she mentioned.

"Well, good luck with that," he sat down across from her. "Is Hayley here?"

"No, she went out to Marnier Bay to help out Mr. James and Ms. Fairweather. Trent is running the place today."

"I hear he draws. I'd love to see some of his stuff, maybe compare our works."

"Something tells me he's a little out of your league," Elaine said.

"Whatever, I'll have you know that…" he was cut short as Jen walked into the café, walking over to them.

"Hey," she said nervously.

"Hi, have a seat," Patrick said, moving over slightly.

Jen cautiously sat down next to him.

"Hello Jen," Elaine said coldly.

"Elaine," she responded.

"Oh come on you two, if we're going to be working together, you need to get over whatever little problems you guys have. Seriously," Patrick told them.

"As soon as she pays me for that smoothie we'll be fine. I ain't about to have my register comin' up short because of her. I need this job," she said.

Just then, Trent walked over to them.

"Hey guys, what can I…" he paused. "This is funny," he said.

"What?"

"The three of you sitting here together. It reminds me of when me, Kira and the others use to come here all the time," he said.

"Kira was a ranger?" Elaine asked.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. Has there been any word on Allumier Ranger yet?" Trent asked.

"No, but I'm sure they'll let us know if anything changes. Mr. James told us to get out and try to have some fun today, and I intend to," Jen said.

* * *

Demorielle found herself alone. While trapped in the void between worlds, Belial had been by her side. He was her most trusted companion, her truest friend… _'My only friend,'_ she thought. And now, thanks to the Power Rangers, he was gone.

She walked over to the symbol on the wall, admiring the design. The three open slots for the Eyes were unoccupied, but this time, she noticed something that she hadn't seen before. There were small slits connecting each of the open slots to one another. They were very thin, but deep, and the slits also connected to the circle encompassing the symbol itself. From the circle was yet another slit, this one going down the wall and into the floor. It stopped at a small circle in the floor, which seemed equally as deep as the slits themselves.

There was still so much she didn't know about herself, about her destiny. All she was sure of were vague images of her past as an enchantress on her home world; before the demons invaded. She wondered how long ago it was, how her life was before they came. She knew she enjoyed bringing happiness to others, but those were only memories. Now, her pleasure came from inflicting pain on the innocent. It amazed her that she could have enjoyed herself any other way.

"The rangers will pay," she paused, noticing as her energy levels were increasing. "Soon, very soon," she sighed.

* * *

Jake sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at his brother. He hadn't moved since they arrived there, and it concerned him. There were machines hooked up to him, tubes up his nose, monitors and other equipment connected to him, all of them humming and beeping. He couldn't help but blame himself for what happened to Carl.

_'If I hadn't got mixed up with all this power ranger shit, he wouldn't have gotten possessed by that thing,' _he thought to himself.

Now, whether or not he would survive was being called into question.

His thoughts were interrupted as Dana walked over to him with a clipboard in hand. "Carl is your brother, right?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yes."

"You'll be happy to know he's in stable condition. All his vitals are in the norm, and he's receiving enough oxygen, but its as though…" she allowed her sentence to trail off.

"What? He's what?" Jake asked.

"Its like his life force has been drained out of him. Physically he's fine, but its like he just doesn't have the desire to get up," she told him.

"Will he ever be okay?"

"He's okay right now. He could wake up any second now, or he may never wake up. Its all up to him at this point," she said.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" he asked.

"No, this is something he has to do on his own," she paused. "I don't know if this is going to mean anything to you, but when he came in there were high levels of radiation in his system. The radiation matches the patterns of the force field that surrounded the dark fortress. It suggests that…"

"He did this to himself to get the force field down," Jake sighed.

"The radiation present in his system was the same as the woman who was teleported here. There are lacerations on both of them, suggesting that the two of them were in a struggle of some kind. Either they were fighting one another, or they were fighting someone else. Still, full credit for getting the force field down goes to the two of them," she said.

"Do you know anything more about the woman?" he asked.

"No, there was no identification of any kind. I'm not sure who she is, but we're in her debt," Dana sighed.

* * *

"What is this place?" Jen asked as she stood outside the building, staring upwards.

"It's the Rock Porium, it just opened this week. The guy who runs the place is a music genius," Patrick told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the store.

Once inside, Jen found herself a little overwhelmed with the size of the store. There were isles and isles music, even a DJ booth towards the back of the store. Everything was very well organized.

"This place is…" she was cut short as a man walked over to them.

"Amazing, I know," he extended his hand to her. "The names Xander," he introduced.

The first thing Jen noticed was his ascent, but wasn't able to place it.

Patrick pulled Jen's hand back, standing in-between them. "I'm Patrick, and this is my… my friend, Jennifer," he replied.

"Well, have a look around, and if you need any help, ask for me," he said, walking away.

"You could point me to the new Linkin Park," Jen brought up.

"Towards the back by the DJ booth. When you get back there, ask for Vida, she'll be able to direct you to everything you're looking for," he told them.

"Okay, thanks."

The two of them walked towards the back of the store, where a young lady with short hair greeted them. "Welcome to Rock Porium. What can I do for you?" she asked them.

Patrick cracked a smile. "Linkin Park," he said.

"All the way in the back, we've got everything they ever recorded. Look around, and if you need me, lemme know," she said, standing aside as the two of them headed towards the back.

"For this place to be new, they sure do have a lot of employees," Jen pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"That Xander guy and the girl with the short hair, and I saw two other people working here too. Look around, we're the only customers in here, how do they afford to have so many people work here if they aren't getting any business?" she asked.

He paused. "Good question."

"Who cares, these guys have everything," she picked up a CD. "I've been looking for this CD for months. You wanna go back to my place and listen to it with me?" she asked him.

"Sure."

Just then, they're morphers began to beep. "Oh great, as soon as we get a day off the world is in impending doom again," she sighed.

It was Patrick who pulled his morpher out. "This is Tempest, go ahead," he whispered.

_"Guys, its Hayley. Can you come back to the Aqua Base? There's something here I think you need to see,"_ a voice said.

"Sure, stand by for teleportation," he turned to Jen. "Go ahead and get your CD and I'll meet you outside," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, then walked away.

* * *

Hayley stood in the infirmary with her arms folded, unsure of how to react. When all of this started, she was aware that things weren't going to be cut and dry. Even as far back as her time with Tommy preparing the dino gems, there were moments that were more bizarre than others, and she knew that when Ethan asked her to help him with the Virtual morphers she was prepared for unusual events… _'but this,'_ she sighed inwardly.

She blamed herself for it. _'I knew something was wrong, I knew there were things going on. I should have done more to make sure she was alright,'_ she thought to herself.

Just then, there was a stream of light, and Patrick teleported in, immediately turning to Hayley. "What's up Hayley? The world need saving again?" he asked.

"Not this time," she sighed in a monotone voice.

It didn't take long for Patrick to realize the seriousness in her demeanor. "What is it? What's wrong?" She didn't respond, she instead motioned for him to turn around. He turned around, getting a look at the woman lying on the examining table. "Who is that?"

Before she could respond, there was another stream of light as Jen teleported in. As soon as she did, she saw…

"Mom?" she gasped, rushing over to the table and checking on her. "What happened here? How did she get here?"

"She came to the café last night looking for you. I told her I'd bring you home later. The video footage from outside the café shows her being possessed by demonites and eventually transforming into Belial," Hayley told her.

"Oh God," Patrick sighed.

"I didn't know this was going to happen. If I had, I'd…" she was cut short.

"I don't blame you. You couldn't have known," she turned around. "If she was possessed, why isn't she now?" Jen asked.

"I can answer that," Dana walked over to them. "I suspect that she was exposed to an electrical surge and low levels of radiation. The shock of it all was probably enough to expel the demon from her, but it also drained of her a lot of her life energy," she told them.

"Is she in a coma?" Patrick asked.

"In essence, yes. She could snap out of it at any moment, but then again she might not even snap out of it," she said.

"I am so sorry," Hayley sighed.

"You couldn't have known that…"

She was interrupted as a machine began to beep. The sound caught Dana's attention, and she hurried over to Liz, who was still laying motionless. Rick, who was leaning up against the wall, stood up, hurrying over to her as well.

"Whats happening?" he asked.

"Her body is going into shock. It looks like there is more internal damage than we anticipated," she turned to one of the nurses. "I have 20ccs of adrenalin NOW!" she called out. Within seconds, the nurse brought her a needle, and Dana jammed it into Liz's chest, but the equipment continued to beep. "Another 20ccs, NOW!"

"Its too much, it'll kill her!" Rick snapped.

"If we don't do something she'll die anyway. Get me that adrenalin!" Dana called out.

The nurse brought her another needle, but before Dana could use it, then machines stopped beeping and were replaced with one long, monotone beep. Dana sighed, setting the needle down and looked at her watch. "I place the time of death at 6:17pm," she sighed.

"WHAT? NO! THAT CAN'T BE IT!" Rick yelled.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do," she sighed.

Rick leaned over Liz, wrapping his arms around her. "This is my fault, I did this to you," he cried.

A hush fell over the group as they watched on. Patrick reached over, grabbing Jen's hand, who in turn squeezed his hand gently.

"Rick, I…" Hayley allowed her sentence to trail off. She instead turned her head slightly, knowing there was nothing she could say to him.

Rick gently set Liz down, wiping the tears away from his eyes as the look of pain and anguish were replaced by hatred and anger. He quickly reached for her morpher and teleported away.

"That can't be good," Jen sighed.

"I'm going to go to the main control room and try to track him. There's no telling what he's capable of in this condition," Hayley sighed, walking out the infirmary.

At that moment, another machine began to beep, and Dana rushed over to him.

"Oh no, mom," Jen cried.

Dana quickly examined her. "It looks like she's coming out of it," Just then, she opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but couldn't. "Try not to move, you've been through a lot," she said.

"W-What? I-I…" she tried to speak, but couldn't muster up the strength.

"Mom, are you alright?" Jen asked.

She turned to Jen slowly, reaching out and grabbing her hand slightly. "I-I remember it… I remember it all," she groaned.

"What is it mom? What happened?"

"I was taken over b-by one of th-those things. It read my thoughts, it knows what I know," she paused. "But I kn-know what it knows too," she sighed.

"Wait? What are you saying?"

"I know why they need the dagger, and I know how to defeat them," she told her.


	9. Connections

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

**

* * *

Saturday March 5th, 2005 7:05pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"Is this really necessary?" Jen asked as she stood back, watching as Cam and Patrick put her mother in restraints. Her arms had been stretched out as far as they could be, and her wrists chained to the wall. There were restraints on her ankles as well, and a leather strap that went around her waist and connected to the wall as well. Ms. Fairweather had also taken the extra precaution of bringing in a contingent of security officers from the Aqua Base, all of them with disrupter weapons in hand, and each of them under orders to do whatever was necessary to stop Ms. Calboure.

"It's a necessary step, yes. We're still not sure if she's under the influence of any external forces," Cam mentioned.

"But its my mom, she…" she was interrupted.

"I understand sweetie, and they're right to be suspicious," her mother told her.

Patrick and Cam took a step back, sitting on the edge of the table as Ms. Fairweather and Dana scanned Ms. Calboure one final time.

"Again, everything seems normal, but I don't know enough about demonites to know whether or not its completely gone," Dana admitted.

"Oh come on, she wakes up and offers to help us defeat the demons. What kind of demon would do that?" Jen asked.

"One with a personal agenda. Remember, these demons can take the form of any and everyone they come in contact with if it will serve their purpose. And if you ask me, it seems a little too convenient that the one aspect about the demons we don't know she's willing to share with us for no reason at all," Cam brought up.

Jen folded her arms, sighing. "Fine, but if something does happen, I'll be the one to take my mother down. Send the guards away," she said.

"I don't think that…"

"Send them away," Jen repeated, this time in a firmer voice.

Ms. Fairweather nodded slightly, and one by one, the guards filed out of the room. With them gone, the others turned to Ms. Calboure, who still had a perplexed look on her face.

"I'm still not sure of what's going on here, but I want to help," she said.

"You can help but telling us what the Dragon Dagger as to do with all of this," Ms. Fairweather said.

"The only dagger that the demon continued to make reference to was the Dagger of Thoron, and it believed that its body was contained within it by a mystic energy. Belial was a general of a great army that fought against the demons, but his wife was killed and his troops were destroyed. One of the wizards had found a way to combine his lifeforce with the strength of a demon, but it went wrong, and the demon took over his body. His soul was lost forever, but the wizard was ready and was able to trap Belial's body within the dagger. Only the correct incantation can release it and bring Belial back to his true form," she explained.

"So Belial is _in_ the dagger?"

"In a way, yes. The dagger also contains the life energies of fallen soldiers. Think of it as purgatory," she told them.

"Wait, so you're saying…"

"… that the dagger has the ability to restore life energy, but only for a limited time," she said.

"So we should be able to save Liz with it," Patrick brought up.

"I don't know if it works that way once someone is killed, but it's worth a try," Ms. Calboure said. "But it will be able to restore your friend Carl."

"How do you know?"

"Because at one point the demon that possessed me had also possessed Carl as well. I have some of his thoughts," she said.

"So how do I do the ritual to restore Carl and Liz?" Cam asked.

"I-I don't know. I'm sorry."

"You said you knew how to defeat Demorielle," Ms. Fairweather mentioned.

"Yes. The dagger is the only weapon that can destroy Demorielle and send her back to the dimensional prison she came from. Without her body, she will be unable to come back to this world in any form. But, there is a catch," she sighed.

"There always is," Jen said.

"You must use the dagger on her within the dark fortress, and in front of the symbol of Thoron to ensure that it holds. Otherwise she will be able to summon mystic energy and return," she told them.

Ms. Fairweather turned to Cam. "Hayley is down in the lab right now, head down there and coordinate with her, see if you can find anything to supports Ms. Calboure's claims. If it is, this could be the break we're looking for," she said.

"I'm on it," he said, walking out the room.

"Patrick, get the dagger and bring it down here. If there's a chance that it will save Carl and Liz, we have to try," she said.

"You got it," he said, rushing out behind Cam.

"And as for you…" she was cut short.

"… I know, stay here and keep an eye on the old lady. I got it," Jen said.

"Good. Oh, and just so we're clear…" she was interrupted again.

"I know, if she makes a move, don't hesitate to kill her. Trust me, I'm aware of that," she said.

"I was just going to say that Belial is known for being very deceptive. If this is a trap, we could be walking right into it. Just be careful," she warned.

"I will," Jen assured her as Ms. Fairweather walked away. As soon as the doors slid shut, Jen turned to her mother with a look of distain on her face.

"So, you're a power ranger, I take it," her mother said.

"Yes."

"I'd hate to see you in the spandex outfit, but…"

"You're really not in a position to talk trash to me, you know," she said.

"Are you that upset with me Jennifer? Are you that bitter that you would use this as an excuse to take your frustrations on me?" she asked.

"Why shouldn't I?" she moved closer to her, picking up a weapon and pointing it at her. "You constantly look down on me, never accepting who I am or the things I like. You always compare me to what other girls my age are doing. I'm not other girls mom, I'm my own person with my own ideas. I have my own plans," she said.

"You sound like your father," she sighed.

"W-What?"

"Your father and I use to argue about this all the time. He wanted to run off and do his own thing and often times left me at home to tend to you and your brother for days, even weeks at a time," she said.

"What are you talking about?"

She paused. "Jennifer, your father was a power ranger," she told her.

* * *

"Dad, we're running out of ideas here. Do you think you could spare any of your scientists to head back and help us out?" Hayley asked, sitting in front of a monitor.

On the screen was Commander Stanton. "I sympathize with your situation sweetie, I do, but we just don't have the funds to send a group of our scientists back to Earth to help you. You're talking about fuel, a shuttle, the scientists expect to be paid for their services as well, not to mention…" he was cut short.

"Dad, no one here right now is getting paid for what we're doing. We're all doing our part to ensure that the world isn't taken over be demons. That's all the payment we need," she said.

"I applaud you for your efforts, but these scientists have families here, and it…"

"Ms. Fairweather is married and has a three year old son. Cam teaches at a ninja school and has a fiancé waiting for him. I have my own business I'm suppose to be running, but we all took time away from our lives to do what we all thought was important. Dad, we're talking about the survival of all mankind. If the demons are able to break through to our world, we…"

"I understand what you're saying Hayley, but we have our own issues here as well. Restructuring the new world has been a long, drawn out and expensive process. I wish I could more to help you, but I can't," he said.

"Is your heart so cold that all you care about is the new world now? Have you forgotten about the old one that everyone here is still fighting to save? Jodie and I are still here, your family is still here. I'm telling you the world is at risk, that everyone here could be killed or worse, possessed by demons, and you're quoting policy to me? Dad, if the demons do win, where do you think they'll go next? They're coming to your precious 'new world' and taking over. And without people like us who are willing to fight and even die to save the world, you'll be doomed," she explained.

"I can see this means a lot to you, but my hands are tied here."

"I thought you were the _commander_? Doesn't that mean in command? You're telling me there's nothing you can do to help me?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Hayley, no. It would take days, even weeks before I'd even be able schedule a shuttle back to Earth," he said.

"Thanks a lot dad," she sighed, pressing the button and turning the screen off. As she turned around wiping the tears from her eyes, she saw Cam with a look of concern on his face.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she sighed.

"Family problems?"

"You would think my dad would be able to send us some help," she said.

"Your father is Commander Stanton from the Terra Venture project?" he asked her.

She nodded. "It was a big deal for our family too. When he was asked to command the station, it was a huge. My sister Jodie went with him, but when they made it to the new world, she came back," she paused. "I was hoping he would send some of their scientists who would be willing to help, but then he started talking about pay rates and protocols."

"They wanted to be paid?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"The nerve of some people, wanting to make a willing for their families," he said in a sarcastic tone.

"Are you trying to be funny?"

"No, but you have to remember who you're talking to. These people already risked their lives and their families to travel to a new world and build a society from the ground up. Everyone who went to the new world are heroes in their own rights, and now you're asking them to do it all again. I don't know if I'd be willing to dedicate my entire life to the betterment of a new planet, then give it all up to come back here and do it again," he explained.

"I guess you're right," she sighed.

"Besides, I doubt they'd be able to help us. They haven't been made any real advancement in the last two decades. Me, you and Angela Fairweather combined is probably the most technologically gifted group of all time. We'll be able to work it out without their help," he said.

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am," he paused. "Jennifer's mom is awake and gave us information on the Dragon Dagger. Can you pull up everything you can on the dagger and cross-reference it with Belial? If there is any truth to what she said, we have to try," he said.

She turned back to the computer. "I can, but it will take the computer a while to compile the data. I'll need an hour, maybe more," Hayley said.

"In the meantime, you should go back to the café and relax. I'm going to go home to Tori, see how things are in Blue Bay Harbor," he said.

"You and Tori are getting along okay?"

"Yeah, things have been great."

"Good, I'm happy for you," she said.

"Just go relax. When the computer is done compiling everything, I'll call you and you can come back," Cam said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it seems like Ms. Fairweather has everything under control here."

"If you say so."

"I do, now get out of here," Cam said.

With a smile on her face, Hayley stood up, walking out the room.

* * *

_There was a stream of light, and the Red Predator Ranger materialized onto the island, looking around slightly. The sun was beginning to go down, and the sky was an odd, orange-ish color, but in the distance he could still see the Dark Fortress. He made his way towards the fortress as his mind raced. He blamed himself for Liz' death. __'I wasn't strong enough to stop Demorielle. I was weak, but that isn't going to happen again,' he thought, walking with a purpose._

_As he walked, a large demon appeared almost from out of nowhere. At first glance, it was a little over eight feet tall with spikes along its arms and legs. It had a sinister glow in its eyes, and was drooling a green-ish fluid._

_"Prepare to meet your doom," it snarled at him._

_"Funny, I was about to tell you the same thing," he said coldly, not moving at all._

_The creature lunged at him, but Predator Ranger side stepped him, grabbed his arm and used his blade to slice off the creature's hand. The hand fell to the ground, and Predator Ranger landed a sweep, knocking the creature to the ground. Before it had a chance to even attempt to make it back to its feet, Predator Ranger stood over him, putting the blade to the creature's throat._

_"Game over you spikey bastard," he said, shoving the blade into the creature's neck._

_Predator Ranger stood up, admiring the damage he'd done, but soon found that he was surrounded by, at first glance, at least a dozen more of the creatures. And, judging by the looks on their faces, none of them were too happy with what he'd done._

_"Twelve of you and only one of me, huh? Hardly seems fair… for you guys," he groaned. "Lets get this over with. I have a date with Demorielle!"_

_Two of them charged at him, but he fell to his knees, driving the blades into their stomachs. He pulled them out, spun around, slicing their ankles and sending them falling to the ground. Another one grabbed him from behind as yet another one rushed at him with a sword, but Predator Ranger ducked, and the creature stabbed the demon holding him. Before it could react, Predator Ranger jumped over him, but landed on its shoulders, then swung around, snapping the creature's neck instantly. Two more grabbed his arms and held him place another creature hammered away on him. Predator Ranger managed to kick one of them away, then went for the blades again. This time, he stabbed one of them in the face, and as it fell to the ground, Predator Ranger used a tree for leverage, jumping over one of them and stabbing it in the top of the head. As it fell, the remaining creatures stopped, unsure of how to proceed._

_"Come on your slimey fuckers, let's go!" he snarled, breathing heavily. The last of the creatures paused for a moment, but simply ran off, disappearing into the jungle. "Figures… lame ass bastards," he sighed, then continued on his way towards the fortress._

* * *

Elaine sat in the café as the last of the people were leaving. She'd been there for most of the day, simply taking the time to enjoy herself. There was no impending danger at the moment, and she was trying to relax, to rest up for what she knew would eventually be a big battle. Once the last of the customers were gone, Trent locked the door, then sat down at the table across from her, sighing with relief.

"I don't see how Hayley does this everyday," he sighed.

"You did okay. I would have helped, but…"

"Don't worry about it, everything worked out," he sat up straight in the chair. "I have just enough left for another smoothie, if you're interested," he told her.

"That sounds nice," Elaine sighed.

The two of them walked over to the counter, and Trent began working on her smoothie.

"So, tell me about yourself," he said, sparking up a conversation.

"Not much to tell really. I stay with my Aunt Carol, you know where I work, and I like smoothies," she said.

"What about your parents?"

She paused. "Well, I don't know my mom, and my dad was… um, lost during an archeological dig a few years back. I was pretty young, so I don't remember much. But I do know that my dad gave his life to make sure and I got out safe," she told him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he sighed.

"No one knows really. If it hadn't been for Mr. Mercer, I might not…"

"Wait… what?"

"I said that if it wasn't for Anton Mercer, I would have…"

"Anton Mercer, what does he have to do with any of this?" he asked her.

"My dad worked with Mr. Mercer for a while before the accident. As I remember it, he was up for a promotion, but he didn't get it," she said.

Trent paused, dropping the smoothie. "Is your father's name Terrence Smith?"

"Yeah, it was. Why?"

"Oh my God, Smitty," Trent sighed.

* * *

Cam sat in front of the monitor, going over the information about the dagger. There was so much of it, and some of it was in another language, which required him to translate a lot of it. Still, based on what he'd read so far, it looked like Jen's mother had been telling the truth. The dagger was told to contain the life energy of fallen soldiers, and everything he read about Belial seemed to back up her story.

"She is telling us the truth," he sighed, turning to the opposite panel. "Guys, this is Cam. The information I have here backs up her claims. We can use the dagger to save Carl and Liz."

_"That's great. Bring it down here, and bring security with you just in case,"_ a voice responded.

"On my way," Cam said as he stood up, picking up the dagger and rushing out the room.

* * *

"My father was a _what_?" Jen snapped.

Her mother let out a sigh. "It was a long time ago. He'd been tracking the demons for a while, trying to figure out how to prevent them from coming to our world. He discovered the Eyes of Thoron, but as long as the third one was hidden, the world was safe. When the location of the third eye was discovered, he stole the dagger from the museum he was working at and led a group of rangers to find the Eye. That was almost two years ago," she explained.

"That's why dad left?"

She nodded. "We thought it best not to tell you the truth. We wanted you to have your own life, make your own decisions, not try to follow in his footsteps. I did my best to raise you on my own, and I know I was hard on you, but I guess all my efforts were for nothing," she said.

Jen felt a tear roll down her face. "You should have told me," she cried.

"Why? So I could lose you too? So you could run off half cocked trying to finish what he started? I wanted you to be safe, to stay here with me. You're all I have left," she sighed.

"I deserved to know."

"I know that now, I'm sorry," she sighed.

At that moment, the doors to the infirmary slid open as Cam and Patrick walked in, making their way over to Ms. Faiweather, who was sitting on the opposite side of the room.

"Whats the word?" Patrick asked.

"I've been trying to give Jen and her mother some time to talk, stay out the way," she took the dagger, looking at it carefully. "You're sure you can make this work?" she replied.

Cam nodded. "Yes, the incantation needed to bring back Carl and Liz were in the mainframe. All I needed to do was translate it. My latin sucks, but I should be able to do the ritual," he said.

"Damn it, she was right!" Patrick said.

"Who?"

"What?"

"All those times when I skipped my latin classes and my mom told me that one day I'd need it, she was right," she said.

"You don't have to understand it, just be able to read it," Cam said, pulling a slip of paper out his pocket. "I can do it,"

"Okay, lets go."

The three of them walked over to Liz first, who had a sheet over her face. Ms. Feather pulled the sheet back slowly, staring down at her. She was so pale, not moving at all. There was something surreal about it; the sight of her there.

"What do you need from us?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"Just quite," he read over the paper as Ms. Fairweather placed the dagger on Liz' stomach. "Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua. Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua! Arise!"

They all paused, simply waiting. Liz was still motionless, showing no signs of change at all.

"Maybe you _do_ have to understand it," Patrick sighed.

"I don't think so, the last time I…"

He was interrupted as Liz sat up almost instantly, screaming to the top of her lungs.

"Oh my God," Ms. Fairweather wrapped her arms around her. "Elizabeth, calm down. Its okay. Everything is going to be okay," she turned to Patrick. "Go find Dana and get her in here."

Patrick rushed off as Cam walked a little closer to them.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

Liz paused, looking around as she attempt to calm herself. "Ever have an airplane land on your neck?"

"No."

"Imagine that, but the plane is full of fat people," she groaned.

"Well its good to see that this little experience hasn't changed your perception of overweight people and your fear of flying," Cam mentioned.

"What happened to me?" she asked.

"You were… killed. We were able to bring you back," he said.

"What? Killed?" she paused. "How long?"

"That doesn't matter."

"Just tell me, how long?"

"About twelve hours," Ms. Fairweather said.

"Oh my God," Liz cried.

Cam picked up the dagger. "I'm going to go see what I can do for Carl. Try your best to fill Liz in on what's been happening," he said, walking away.

"You mean me dying isn't the big news of the day?" Liz asked.

* * *

Jen and her mother watched as Cam tended to Carl.

"It seems to be working. They managed to bring that bitch Liz back, so Carl shouldn't be a problem," she said.

"Watch your mouth young lady."

"If I risk my neck to save the world, I think I'm entitled to speak my mind," Jen said.

"Now that you see I was telling the truth, you think we could get me out of these restraints. I have to go to the restroom," she said.

"Its not my call."

"But you're a ranger. You're saying you don't have any say so around here?"

"I do, but…"

"But what? You'll let them chain your mother up like an animal? Come help me down Jennifer," she insisted.

"I don't think I…"

"Jennifer, help me down," she repeated.

Jen took a deep breath, walking over to the base of the restraints. "Okay, but if you try anything funny, I'll…" before she could finish her sentence, the chains were released and her mother fell to the floor, landing on her feet. She rubbed her wrists slightly, and then grabbed the chain, whipping it towards Jen and hitting her in the side of the head. Jen was down, and the orange and black body armor began to form around Ms. Calbourne's body. Soon, she was completely covered in armor.

"Much better," she groaned.

Belial rushed over to Cam, shoving him against the wall before he even realized what was going on. With him down, Belial picked up the dagger, nodding with approval. "Yes! Yeessss!" he moaned. "Quod iam , vigilo mihi traho a lepus ex foramen in meus gallo," he chanted.

Within moments, the dagger began to glow, and there was a flash of light. As the light died down, Jen's mother was lying on the floor at Belial's feet. Ms. Fairweather hurried over to her.

"What have you done?"

"I have ensured your destruction human. I am whole again, and soon, Demorielle will purge this world of goodness, of hope, of happiness. Your time is coming," he warned them, then disappeared into a stream of light.

"Well isn't that just great? I come back to life in just enough time to get killed again," Liz sighed.

* * *

_Red Predator Ranger kicked in the doors to the room, coming face to face with Demorielle._

_"Surprise you ugly bitch," he said with a sinister tone in his voice._

_Demorielle smiled slightly. "Surprise? On the contrary Rick, I've been expecting you," she said, nodding slightly._

_Before he had a chance to react, several portals opened up, almost surrounding him, and demonites swarmed out. They all charged at him, finding their way into his body. A wave of disorientation washed over him, and he fell to his knees, doing his best to fight it. The more he fought, but more they consumed him, until eventually, all of them were gone._

_He rose to his feet slowly, watching as Belial walked over to Demorielle, putting his arm around her._

_"He will make an excellent addition to our forces," Belial said._

_"Yes… he will," Demorielle sighed._


	10. Continuum

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_This chapter contains portions of chapter nine, Connections. Because of the time travel issue, some scenes may seem to repeat, but I assure you, its all intentional._

* * *

**Saturday March 19th, 2005 1:06pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

_"This is Cassidy Cornell reporting for channel six news. The city itself is in complete chaos. No one knows where these creatures have come from, or what they want, but they have been wreaking havoc in the city for days now, destroying everything and everyone in their path. To combat the threat, rangers from other cities as far as Silver Hills, California and Marnier Bay, California, but all of them have fallen to these creatures. The leader of the malicious group, Demorielle, is demanding the unconditional surrender of the entire city, or the remaining population will be destroyed as well. With no one to resist, it seems as though it's only a matter of time before the city is forced to give in to their demands. It seems…"_ she pauses as there is an explosion in the background, knocking both her and the camera to the ground. The signal is completely cut off, and there is nothing but static on the screen.

Ms. Fairweather had seen enough, reaching for the remote control and turning off the television, shaking her head in disbelief. They'd done everything they could to stop Demorielle and the demon attackers, but without success. _'We should have known better. If the first group of rangers we sent were destroyed, we should have known that these teens wouldn't have been able to do any better,'_ she thought to herself, recalling being responsible for sending out the original group to stop Demorielle, but they never returned.

The Aqua Base had taken heavy damage over the last few weeks, most of the major areas were completely flooded… or worse, completely destroyed. There were lifeless bodies laying in the corridors of the base, some of the killed long before the attack, some due to the flooding. Over half her staff had been seriously injured, including Hayley, who she considered to be one of her most trusted friends. All the remained of the staff for the base was herself, Cam, and Gaby, but she too had been hurt and was confined to the infirmary.

The doors to the room slid open as Cam, who had his right arm in a cling, rushed in.

"Angela, we just got word for Blue Bay Harbor, the demons have attacked there and taken over both of the ninja academies. A lot of my students were killed in the attack…" his sentence trailed off. "Tori w-was…" again, his sentence trailed. He couldn't even muster up the strength to say it.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," she sighed.

"We need to do something and we need to do it now. At this rate, the entire world will fall to Demorielle," he said.

Angela could hear the anger in his voice. "What do you expect us to do? The rangers are dead. Rangers from other cities gave their life to help us, and it didn't help. We're all that's left," she mentioned.

"There has to be something we can do. If the rangers had access to their zords, we could have stopped Demorille, but…" he paused as an idea came to mind. "Are you familiar with Eltarian legend at all?" he asked.

"Not really, why?"

"Zordon was from Eltar, and the demons originated there, on his planet. They were able to drive them off his home world, but it didn't take them long to find a new place to invade; Earth. If I remember the sacred text correctly, there was an amulet of some kind that protected their warriors from the demons possession, and the amulet was the key to unlocking the zords hidden power source," he brought up.

"Where is this amulet now?"

"The only being who knew was Zordon, but he's gone now," he sighed. "The amulet, according to legend, was broken into two parts and given to two brothers to keep safe. Neither of them knew the other, and neither of them knew what powers the amulet had," Cam said.

"What else can you tell me about this amulet?" she asked him.

"Its not an amulet at all," the two of them turned around as Tommy walked into the room. "Its an arrowhead," he told them.

**

* * *

Saturday March 15th, 3001 1400 hours ... New Silver Hills, California

* * *

**

Trip leaned back in his chair, disturbed by what he saw. _'The timeline is beginning to shift again,'_ he sighed inwardly, watching as events unfolded according to the history logs. It was one of the benefits to having access to records of every event from every point in time. Moving ahead in the timeline, he observed the aftermath of what was to be the final battle for the Virtual Rangers, and he didn't like what he saw.

"Oh no," he sighed, noticing a small inconsistency.

Before he could look into the situation, he was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open behind him. He didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "Hello Commander," he mumbled slightly.

Commander Alexander Drake approached him slowly with his arms behind his back, wearing a pair of deeply tinted sunglasses. "Internal sensors informed me that someone was accessing the history logs without authorization. You care to explain to me what you're doing in here Trip?" he asked him in a dry, monotone voice.

Trip turned around, facing him. "I was doing a routine sweep of the timeline, looking for any abnormalities, and I believe I've found one sir. I big one," he brought up.

"What is it?"

"In the year 2005, the Virtual Rangers are on the verge of being defeated by Demorielle. There has been a shift in the timeline, and the rangers haven't been able to access their zords, nor does Red Predator Ranger have the amulet he needs," he told him.

"What caused the shift?"

"I haven't been able to track down the actual cause, but there was a temporal displacement in the year 3001, and the temporal wake of it has caused an adverse ripple effect that has trickled backwards through time. This event along with several others have been changed, and if they continue, it would erase history as we know it completely, replacing it with an alternate timeline," he paused. "Based on these readings, and keep in mind its only preliminary, the world will be dominated by Thoron and the demon race," he explained.

"But there is no way to know what actually caused it?" Alex asked.

"I could look into it, but I'm afraid that the more time we waste with the investigation, the harder it will be to repair the damage done to the timeline," he said.

"What are you suggesting?"

"The amulet Predator Ranger needs is in our vault, I could take it to him, and I could give them the necessary instructions to access their zords," Trip suggested.

"No," Alex said coldly.

"But sir, I…" he was cut short.

"You asked, and the answer is no. I understand that there has been a shift in the timeline, but you don't know what caused it, or what further damage you could do by going there yourself. The rangers in that time will have to figure it out on their own," he told him.

"I don't think you understand sir. If we don't do something now, history… _future_ history could be altered forever," he said.

"I understand the situation Trip, and I understand even more that this is not for us to get involved in. Do you understand me? By no means do you attempt to contact the rangers from that time or offer them assistance. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir. Perfectly clear."

* * *

**Saturday March 5th, 2005 9:17pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"I can't believe I was such an idiot," Jen screamed, kicking over a metal containing and sending it across the room.

It was Patrick who walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You couldn't have known. You thought it was your mom. Everyone here would have done the same," he told her.

Jen snatched away. "I let my guard down, listened to what it had to say, and now Belial is free," he paused, turning to her mother, who was lifeless on the floor. "Oh God, mom," she sighed, going to check on her.

"She's fine, just unconscious," Dana said as she quickly checked her vitals.

It was Liz who stood up, walking over to Jen. "I know you're pissed, I know you're feeling guilty… use it," she told her.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You can sit here and feel sorry for yourself and whine like a bitch, or you can use those emotions to your advantage. You've got all this frustration, use it. We'll go after Demorielle and Belial, catch them off guard. They won't know what hit'em," she said.

Jen smiled deviously. "Sounds like a plan to me," she turned to Dana. "You'll take care of my mother for me?"

Dana nodded. "Of course."

"Lets go finish this shit once and for all," Jen said as she headed for the door.

"Wait," a voice called out. The three of them turned as Carl walked over to them. "You're not the only one with a score to settle with those body snatching bastards. Count me in," he said.

"No, you have no powers. You'll be defenseless," Patrick said.

"He's right. You'll end up hurt, or worse," Jen said.

"But…"

"No buts, its for your own good," she paused. "Wait, where are the others?" Liz asked.

"Rick left in a hurry after you died, Jake went home to get some things, and as far as I know, Elaine is still at the café," he said.

"Round everyone up and we'll meet at the café. One way or another, this ends tonight," Jen said.

* * *

**Saturday March 19th, 2005 1:18pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"An arrowhead?" Ms. Fairweather inquired.

Tommy walked over to them, reaching under his shirt and revealing his half of the arrowhead, which he had on a necklase around his neck. "Years ago, during my zeo quest, I was given this arrowhead by a man named True of Heart. He told me it was to remember my time with him, but I never knew what it was for. Later, I was reunited with my brother, David, who had the other half. King Mondo wanted the arrowhead for himself because he thought it was the key to unlocking incredible power, but no one knew quite how it worked. Even Zordon wasn't able to access its power. Last week my half of the arrowhead began to glow, so I contacted David, and he told me his was glowing as well. I headed out to Stone Canyon and got his half of it," he reached in his pocket, pulling out the other half. "I wasn't sure what they did or how it would be important, but something inside me said I should bring them to you guys," he explained, handing both halves of it to Cam.

Cam cautiously put the two halves together, and combined, began to glow even brighter. "This is the power source we need to access the zords, and it should be able to stop demons from possessing whoever holds it," he said.

"That's great, but what do we do with it now?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"I can use the scroll of time to go back to a point before Demorielle was free, give it to the rangers," he paused. "I'll give it to Red Predator Ranger. If he had it before it went running off to fight Demorielle on his own, that battle may have turned out differently," Cam said.

"If you can go back in time and stop this, why not just go back to a time before the demons were set free?" Tommy asked.

"If I were, they would only escape again, and we'd have the same problem. There's no telling how prepared we'll be if were to happen again, so its best that we do it at a point in time where we're ready for them. I will go back, find Predator Ranger and give it to him," he said.

"But wait… if you do, this time line will never have existed, and you will cease to exist," she brought up.

"I know," Cam sighed.

"Are you sure its worth it?"

"This timeline will be gone, but it will pave the way for a much better one; one where the rangers had a fighting chance. Its worth it, in my opinion," he told them.

"Good luck, and may the power protect you," Tommy sighed.

* * *

**Saturday March 5th, 2005 9:24pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"How do you know my father?" Elaine asked, standing up and backing away from Trent slowly.

Trent, who had a concerned look on his face, remained exactly where he was. "I didn't know Smitty took you on that mission with you. I knew he'd gotten hurt, but my father never told me Smitty had his daughter there," he mumbled to himself.

"Hello? How about sparkin' up a conversation with me instead of talking to yourself. Tell me what you know about my father," she insisted.

"Your father worked with my dad at Mercer Industries. He, Dr. Oliver and your father were out on a routine survey of some kind and your father was injured. If I remember correctly, he was on life support for months until finally he passed away," he said.

"I know that much. Tell me something I don't know."

"Mesagog was able to rebuild him, giving him cybernetic implants of some kind, turning him into Zeltrax. Even with his new body, he blamed Dr. Oliver for what happened to him and vowed revenge," Trent said.

"You're saying my dad was a robor?"

"Yes… no… well, kinda. There wasn't much of Terrence Smith left in Zeltrax, only the desire to destroy Dr. Oliver. We defeated both Zeltrax and Mesagog in the final battle," he told her.

"He was… alive? All that time? And he never came to see about me?" she sighed.

"Again, he was consumed by hatred and anger. I doubt it was your father at all by the time Mesagog rebuilt him. You wouldn't have recognized him anyway," he said in an attempt to comfort her.

"Still, I would have liked to have known that he was out there, somewhere," Elaine sighed.

Just then, Jake rushed into the café, hurrying over to the two of them.

"Its go time Elaine," he told her.

"What?"

"We're about to make our move on Demorielle. We have to ranger up and meet the others in the Nemesis Triangle," he said.

"Lets do it," Elaine said.

"You two be careful," Trent said.

"Don't worry, we'll go defeat the forces of evil and be home in time for the Friends marathon on TNT tonight," he said.

His statement was enough to make Elaine stop dead in her tracks. "Wait, you like Friends?" she asked.

He paused. "Um, yeah."

"Oh my God, that show is so lame," she said.

"It is not. If you give it a chance, it's pretty funny. I like Ross and Rachel," he mentioned.

"Oh God, you're one of the Ross/Rachel fanboys aren't you? Next you'll tell me you write fanfics about it and making little music videos using clips of the show," she added. "I bet you have an account on YouTube, don't you?"

"Oh please, what kinda loser does that all day?" Jake asked.

"You'd be surprised," Trent chimed in.

"Lets just go get it done, I wouldn't have to deprive Jake here of his Monica and Joey fix later," she said.

"Hey! It's Monica and _Chandler_, okay? Joey eventually got his own spin off," Jake brought up.

"Whatever," she said as she reached for her morpher, disappearing in a stream of light.

"If it means anything to you, I like Friends, too," Trent mentioned.

Jake cracked a smile before he reached for his morpher, disappearing as well.

* * *

**Saturday March 5th, 2005 8:59pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

_"Come on your slimey fuckers, let's go!" Red Predator Ranger snarled, breathing heavily. The last of the creatures paused for a moment, but simply ran off, disappearing into the jungle. "Figures… lame ass bastards," he sighed, then continued on his way towards the fortress. _

_As he continued forward, he heard the sound of someone approaching from behind. It was enough to make him stop, waiting for just the right moment to make his move. The sound stopped, and almost instantly, Red Predator Ranger turned around, swinging his blade at whoever… or whatever was behind him. The mystery attacked managed to duck his attack. _

_"Slow down, I…" he wasn't allowed to complete his sentence as Predator Ranger lunged at him, flipping the attacker over and up against a tree. The attacker was flat on his back, and Predator Ranger stood over him. _

_"Who the fuck are you and…" he paused, getting a look at his attacker. "Cam?" he asked. _

_"Oh sure, recognize me after you knock me on my ass," he said. Predator Ranger stood aside, allowing him up. Cam stood up, dusting himself off. "I'm here to help you." _

_"What makes you think I need your help?" _

_"I'm from what you would consider the future, about two weeks or so," he said. _

_"So you came two weeks into the past? How lame is that? Why not a few years?" he asked him. _

_"I came to give you this," he reached in his pocket, pulling out an amulet. "You were suppose to find this by now," he said. _

_"What is it?" _

_"Two halves of an arrowhead that originally belonged to Lerigo, but were given to Tommy and his brother David for safe keeping. It was responsible for the entrapment of the demons in the first place thousands of years ago. The amulet was created as a shield of sorts, giving the wearing the ability to withstand possession," he said. _

_"And this is for me?" _

_He nodded. "In a few minutes you're going to go charging into Demorielle's chamber, but they'll be expecting you and it's a trap. You'll need this," he paused. "The final battle with Demorielle is a lot closer than you think, and you and the others need to be ready for it," he told him. _

_"How do I know this isn't one of Demorielle's tricks?" he asked. _

_"That's a good question. Usually, the demons can take the form of people you know and try to convince you to give them something. I'm not asking for you anything, I'm giving you something," he brought up. _

_"Yeah, but it could be a trap." _

_"Rick, listen to me. The timeline is shifting, and any moment I'll be gone. Soon everything you know and love will be gone, and I don't have time to convince you I'm here to help. You're going to have to take my word for it," he said. _

_"If you're really from the future, that means you know everything about me, right?" _

_"I guess so." _

_"Tell me something about myself that I've never told anyone." _

_He paused. "Fine," he sighed. "The real reason you agreed to help Ethan with virtual reality game is because your sister was on the team led by Anthony Coulbourne, and she was presumed dead. The only reason you signed up to help was because you were sure you'd be able to find her if you did. You tried to find her, but ended up getting captured by Demorielle," he told him. _

_Predator Ranger paused slightly. "Fair enough. Just tell me one thing, is she…" _

_"I don't know if she's alive or not. I wish I could tell you more, but just by coming here, I've altered the timeline. Make sure that once you get back, you give this to my other self in this timeline. He should be able to access the zords with it," he explained. _

_Predator Ranger took the amulet, putting it around his neck. "Are there any magic words or something? All this mystic shit has a special phrase or something to it," he pointed out. _

_No, you don't have to say or do anything special. It will work on its own," he said. _

_"Thanks for the assist." _

_"No worries, just be careful. And oh yeah, may the power protect you! I've always wanted to say that," he said. _

_Predator Ranger turned to walk away._

* * *

_"Surprise you ugly bitch," Red Predator Ranger said with a sinister tone in his voice. _

_Demorielle smiled slightly. "Surprise? On the contrary Rick, I've been expecting you," she said, nodding slightly. _

_Before he had a chance to react, several portals opened up, almost surrounding him, and demonites swarmed out. They all charged at him, finding their way into his body. A wave of disorientation washed over him, and he fell to his knees, doing his best to fight it. The more he fought, but more they consumed him, until eventually, all of them were gone. _

_He rose to his feet slowly, watching as Belial walked over to Demorielle, putting his arm around her. _

_"He will make an excellent addition to our forces," Belial said. _

_"Yes… he will," Demorielle sighed. "Now, take your place at our side, and assist us in the complete destruction of the Virtual Rangers and the total domination of the Earth realm." _

_"It will be a pleasure," Predator Ranger said, approaching her slowly. He stood by her side, folding his arms. _

_"With their leader in our grasp, the rangers will be defeated swiftly, and there will be no one to oppose us," Belial added. _

_Predator Ranger glanced over, realizing that Belial had the Dragon Dagger. "You were able to get the dagger away from the rangers, excellent," he said, trying to sound evil. _

_"Yes, after possessing Spectra Ranger's mother, I was able to trick her into releasing me. I even assisted them in bringing one of the rangers back to life by using the dagger as a way to gain their trust. When I did, I…" _

_"Wait, you brought a ranger back to life?" he asked. _

_"Yes. Allumier Ranger. Her essence was trapped within the dagger, and I showed them how to free her. Not that it will happen, since all of them will be destroyed very soon," Belial said. _

_"Liz is… alive?" he mumbled to himself. _

_"Our conquest is at hand. Soon no one will oppose us," Demorielle said. _

_At that moment, Predator Ranger reached over, snatching the dagger out of Belial's hand. _

_"W-What are you…" _

_Before Belial could finish his statement, Predator Ranger caught him with a kick to the chest, knocking him to the floor. Demorielle reached out to grab Predator Ranger, but he side stepped her, grabbed her arm and pulled her forward as he shoved the Dragon Dagger into his stomach, turning it for good measure. _

_"Like I said, surprise bitch!" _

_Demorielle fell to her knees, eventually falling over onto the symbol on the floor. Belial was back to his feet, but instead of going after Predator Ranger, tried to tend to Demorielle. _

_"Demorielle, speak to me!" he called out. _

_Her blood began to spill, filling the small cracks along the symbol. As it continued to pour, the symbol itself started to glow, and soon, even the symbol along the wall had blood flowing through it. The room began to shake, and the symbol on the wall opened up. Smoke filled the room, and a chill fell over them as a huge, rock like hand reached out from the symbol. _

_"**FINALLY, I AM FREE!**" a voice echoed. _

_Belial turned to the symbol, dropping to both knees. "Thoron, you have returned," he said. _

_Predator Ranger glanced down at the dagger, which had blood dripping off of it, and then at the symbol, which had blood flowing through out it, immediately realizing what he'd done. _

_"Oh shit, my bad," he sighed. _


	11. Conclusions pt I

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

**

* * *

Saturday March 5th, 2005 9:07pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

"Oh no," Cam rushed over the opposite side of the room, going over the readings he'd found. The computers were beeping in a rhythmic tone, but it was getting fasted. As he went over the readings, Ms. Fairweather walked into the room.

"What is it?"

"I'm picking up a massive energy buildup on the island of Marianthis," he said, never taking his eyes off the screen.

"Is it Demorielle? Is she at full power?" she asked.

"No, I don't think so, I…" he paused. "Oh God. Thoron has been released," he sighed.

"Are you sure?"

Just then, one of the computer panels began to smoke, and eventually exploded. "Positive. Only Thoron would have the energy so massive that our censors couldn't measure it," he paused. "Do any of the lightspeed morphers work?" he asked her.

"No, all of them are offline."

"I'm going to contact Gaby in Silver Hills and tell her to have the red Time Force ranger and Quantum ranger standing by. You're going to have to stay here and monitor everything while I try to get the wind and thunder morphers back online so the rangers can make a stand in Blue Bay Harbor. If its as bad as we think it is, the Virtual Rangers won't stand a chance," he told her.

"I'll try to contact Andros as the Astro Rangers as well, but they may be out of communications range," she brought up.

"If only we could get the zords online, at least then the rangers would stand a chance, but…" he was interrupted as there was a stream of light, and within seconds, Rick materialized in front of them.

"Guys, I think I mighta fucked up," he sighed.

"What? How?"

"I killed Demorielle, but as soon as I did, her blood got into that big symbol thingie. It opened up and Thoron got out," he said.

"Of course," he paused. "The liquid key, that what the engravings meant. Demorielle's blood was the catalyst for releasing Thoron," Cam said.

"Of sure, now you tell me," Rick sighed.

"Cam, you go back to Blue Bay Harbor and prepare. I'll have Ethan and Hayley do their best to get the dino morphers online, too. This is going to get real bad in a hurry," Ms. Fairweather said.

"Oh, I'm suppose to give you this," he said, walking over to Cam and presenting him with the arrowhead.

"What is it?"

"It's an arrowhead, but it has some sorta mystic power to it. It should give you the energy you need to get the zords online," he said.

Cam walked over to the computer quickly, scanning the arrowhead. "My God, you're right. Where did you get this?" he asked.

"Actually, from you. Don't ask, it's a long story," Rick said. "Where are the others?"

"On their way to the island of Marianthis. You should join them there," Ms. Fairweather said.

Rick shook his head. "No, Thoron is free, and Maraianthis is the last place on his mind. He's coming here," he told her. "We need to keep him as far away from the city as we possibly can while Cam tries to get the zords online. Marnier Bay is known for its abundance of rock quarries, pick one and have the others meet me there," he instructed, reaching for his morpher and disappearing again.

"I'll start the modifications for the zord, you get the others together," Cam said.

"I'm on it."

* * *

_The entire fortress was collapsing in on itself. Belial had picked up Demorielle's body, hoping to get her to safety, but there was no place on the island that could be considered out of harm's way. Chunks of the building were falling from the sky, shattering when they hit the ground. The dark fortress was all but destroyed, but Belial continued on, not looking back at all. His only concern was avoiding being hit by falling debris and keeping Demorielle safe._

_He was sure that once he we far enough away, he would be able to use the Dragon Dagger to save her, but in order to try, the ritual had to go uninterrupted. The sky itself was dark; mostly because Thoron himself was back, and the mere size of him alone was enough to block out the sun's light._

_"Do not worry Demorielle, you will be restored," he sighed._

* * *

Jen, Liz and Patrick materialized in the rock quarry, where Rick had been standing there, waiting for them. He stood on the edge of a cliff, which, by the looks of it, was close to one hundred feet down. 

"Rick?" Liz called out.

Rick turned around, staring at Liz slightly. He was either unable, or unwilling to move as he was overcome with emotion. Finally, he rushed over to her, wrapping his around her, holding her tightly. "Next time you trick me like that, I'll kill you myself," he sighed.

"Well, I'm not planning on a next time, but…"

"Why are we here?" Patrick asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Thoron is free, and he'll be coming after us. I figured we'd make our stand here, away from the major cities," Rick told him.

"Good plan."

Just then, there was another flash of light as Jake and Elaine materialized.

"A rock quarry?" Jake sighed.

"What? They don't have rock quarries or Friends?" Elaine joked. "You thought we were going to be Central Perk or something?"

"This isn't the time for that guys," Jen said, stepping in-between them.

"What is it? What happened?"

"I can answer that question for you," they all turned around as an holographic image of Ethan appeared. "This location is ideal for what could potentially be your last battle. First, let me say that all of you have fought well and have defended not only this city, but this planet with your lives. I couldn't be prouder of you," he said.

"You're startin' to sound like you don't expect us to live through this," Jen said.

"Honestly, I don't. Thoron has been released and will make his way towards the biggest power source he can find. In our case, that would be the six of you. Thanks to Rick, we know how the energy source we need to get the zords online, but it will take time. While we're working on it, none of you will have access to the morphing grid, so…" he was cut short.

"So we can't morph?" Patrick asked.

"No, unfortunately not. But, thanks to Gaby, you will be able to use your unique powers while unmorphed. You'll need to do everything you can to hold Thoron at bay while we get the zords operational," he said.

"Okay, I get it, this guy's a bad ass, but how bad can he be? I mean, we've all seen how big the monsters get when the power rangers fight'em, this guy couldn't be much worse, right?" Jake asked.

Suddenly, the sky got dark, so dark that they could barely see. The ground began to shake, so much so that Jen fell backwards. Luckily, Patrick was right there to catch her. As she got back to her feet, she turned around, only to see…

"Holy shit," she gasped.

The rest of them turned around, getting a good look at Thoron, who was blocking the sun's light.

"You just _had_ to say something, didn't you Jake?" Elaine asked.

"Sorry."

"Okay guys, this is it. Its time to go big or go home," Rick said.

"Is it too late for vote for go home?" Jen asked.

"A little bit, yeah."

"Just remember, he isn't at full strength yet. This is the best chance we have to stop him once and for all," Liz brought up.

"Ok, lets get it done!" Patrick said.

* * *

"Done? Hell, this isn't even close to being done," Cam said, never taking his eyes off his work. 

"What happened?" she asked him.

"The arrowhead has more than enough power to activate the zords, but it's the configuration for the megazord that's giving me a hard time. Individually, the zords are powerful, but not enough to defeat Thoron. I've been working on a way to combine the zords, but none of the command pathways seem to be working right," he told her.

"Have you tried crossing the field emitters? They use to give me a hard time with the Solar Zord," she said.

"I tried it twice, and I realigned with power couplings. Still, the final piece isn't fitting into place."

She paused. "Wait, I know. Try recalibrating the power converter. I bet your problem is signal derogation as it tries to combine, but a recalibration should be send the power evenly through every system," Ms. Fairweather suggested.

"You're a genius, you know that?"

"So I've been told," she smiled.

* * *

Elaine used her powers, shooting water at Thoron, catching him in the chest. Jake then followed by using his power, freezing the water, catching Thoron in a block of ice. 

"Okay guys, you're up," Jake said.

Jen used her powers, hitting Thoron with an energy bolt in the face, forcing him to howl out in pain. Patrick was next, hitting Thoron with a series of lightning bolts in the chest. The lightning connected with the water, sending shockwaves through Thoron's body. Thoron responded by cocking back, throwing what appeared to be a chunk of magna towards them, but Jen used her powers, putting up a shield of some kind to block it. The manga went through the shield with no problem at all, hitting Jen and knocking her to the ground.

Patrick rushed over to her, helping her up, then continued with his series of lightning bolts.

"We need more!" he screamed.

"But what? I'm running out of ideas here," Jake said.

"I have one," he turned to Jen. "Do you think you could make a bridge over there?" Rick asked her.

"An energy bridge? I can give it a shot."

"Good. Patrick, you come with me," he said.

Jen mustered up the energy, creating a bridge that led directly to Thoron's chest. "I can't hold it forever, go!" she told them.

Rick and Patrick ran towards Thoron using the bridge. Thoron swung at them, but Rick used his powers, and his fist went straight through him.

"Get ready to jump," Rick said.

"Jump? Jump where?"

"Just grab my hand and jump!" he said.

Patrick grabbed his hand and the two of them jumped. Rick used his power, phasing through Thoron, but stopping inside his chest.

"Whoa. You don't see that everyday," Elaine sighed.

* * *

"What is that?" Ms. Fairweather asked. 

"What?"

"This ionic flux in the power grid. It looks like its taking power from critical systems. If they were to form the megazord with this flux in the system, the entire zord could self destruct," she said.

"Actually, no. That flux is there with a purpose. When one system begins to work too hard, the ionic flux slows down distribution to that system and diverts it to another one. Its actually helpful," Cam said.

"You're a genius!"

"So I've been told," he joked.

She smiled.

* * *

"Holy crap," Patrick groaned, looking around. "Are we…" 

"Inside Thoron? Yes."

"Freaky," he sighed.

Rick glanced around, looking for something that could be considered a vital organ, but everything looked like the inside of a volcano. He looked downward, and there was even lava, which he assumed doubled as blood for Thoron.

"Okay, work your mojo in here."

* * *

Jake and Elaine continued to build ice up around Thoron, but with one step, he was able to break free of the ice. He took a step forward, but lightning bolts shot out of his chest. At first there were only a few, then, dozens of them, all at once. 

"They're getting him from the inside," Liz sighed.

"Great plan, but we're not doing so hot out here," Jen brought up.

Liz paused. "Jake. You need to go in there," she said.

"What? You're nuts lady. I ain't…"

"He's a volcano demon. If you go in there and freeze him from the inside, that should stop him," she pointed out.

"What did you not understand about I'm not going in there?" he asked.

Liz quickly grabbed his hand, and Jen used her powers to shove them forward. Liz ran towards Thoron on the bridge, then used her power, phasing through his chest and taking Jake with her.

* * *

They materialized inside his chest, but Liz came up short, falling over the side. Rick grabbed her by the wrist, holding on to her as best as he could. "Pull yourself up," he said. 

"No. I'll pull both of us down if I do," she said.

"Just do it!"

"No, I won't."

Before he could respond, Thoron took a step forward, sending both Rick and Liz falling over the side and towards the red hot lava below them.

"Rick, Liz… NOOO!" Patrick called out.

Patrick and Jake watched until Liz and Rick disappeared into the lava.

"Damn," Jake sighed. "We have to finish this now. We owe them that much," he said, using his power. He began to shake, and suddenly, it started getting very cold. Patrick found himself shivering as Jake continued on. Soon, everything had ice hanging from it, and lava itself was cooling down. Patrick continued to shoot lightning in every direction, and now that it was so cold, each shot of lightning opened up a hole in Thoron's chest and back.

* * *

"They're doing it!" Jen said, watching up. 

"Okay, lets help'em out as much as we can," Elaine said, using her powers. She consentrated, focusing the beam of water as tightly as she could, then aimed it directly at Thoron. The water was coming at such high speeds that it acted as a lazer, slicing off one of Thoron's arms. The arm itself fell to the ground, forcing the entire quarry to shake as it collided. Jen then used her powers to pick up the arm, swinging it at Thoron. Each shot with the arm knocked him back a step.

* * *

"O-o-okay, I think we we've got as much as we can in here. Lets get the hell out of dodge," Jake said, shivering slightly. 

"But how?"

"Through there," he said, pointing at a hole.

"Are you serious?"

"You have another way out of here?"

"Not really."

"Then lets go," Jake said.

The two of them jumped, escaping through the hole, but found themselves falling towards the ground. They were inches away from hitting the ground when an energy beam caught them, setting them down gently on the ground. Patrick glanced up at Jen, nodding.

He and Jake watched as Thoron's arm continued to hit him, knocking him back everytime.

"We're going to do it. We're going to beat him," Patrick said.

"Lets help'em out a little, shall we?"

Jake then used his powers to build up a giant chuck of ice directly behind Thoron. As the arm hit him again, Thoron stumbled back, tripped on the chuck of ice and went tumbling to the ground. As it hit the ground, the ground itself opened up and Thoron shattered into a million pieces, most of it falling into the crack in the ground.

For good measure, Patrick began shooting lightning bolts into the crack, followed by a huge patch of ice to fill in the crack.

Liz and Elaine made their way down to the bottom of the quarry with a energy beam, standing next to Jake and Patrick, staring down at the crack filled with ice.

* * *

"Wait, something is happening," Cam said, going over to another monitor. "It looks like they did it, they beat Thoron," he said. 

"Without the zords? How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but his power levels are almost non-existent. They did it," he told her. "I can't believe that…" he paused, looking at another reading. "Oh no."

"What?"

"There are two more power sources approaching fast. They're not as big as Thoron's was, but still enough to pose a threat. Plus, it looks as though Thoron isn't completely gone yet. His power levels are dangerously low, but not gone," Cam said.

"What does this mean?"

"It means we still may have to dust off the zords after all," he said.

* * *

"We did it," Elaine sighed. 

"That big bastard was no match for us," Patrick said.

"Wait… where is Liz and Rick?" Jen asked.

"T-They fell into the lava, there was nothing we could do," Jake sighed.

"At least they're deaths weren't in vain. We stopped that son of a bitch before he could do any real damage," she paused. "I know I gave her a hard time, but Liz wasn't _that_ bad. Sure, she was a bitch, but I didn't want her to die… well, again," Jen brought up.

"How sweet. I didn't know you cared," they heard a voice say.

The four of them turned around only to see Rick and Liz walking towards them.

"But how? We saw you fall," Patrick said.

"Duh, can pass through solid objects, remember? We just phased out until we were close enough to the ground and out of harms way," Rick said.

"So that's it, we really did it," Liz said.

"Yep, we did it together!" Elaine brought up, extending her hand outwards.

Patrick followed suit, placing his hand on top of hers. "Damn right we did."

Liz and Rick quickly followed suit as well. "Excellent work you guys, really. You did great," Rick said.

"I knew that big bastard wasn't so tough," Jake said as he placed his hand on top of Liz'

"You're not going to start singing the theme to Friends, are you?" Elaine asked.

"No," he paused. "Well, maybe."

Finally, the five of them looked over at Jen, who still hadn't moved.

"What? You guys just have to make a cheesy sentimental moment of out this, don't you? We saved the world, there's no need to get all mushy about it," she said.

"Jennifer…" Patrick said, letting his sentence trail off.

Jen sighed. "Jen, whatever," she said, putting her hand on top of Jake's.

"Power Rangers Virtual Force!" they said in unison.

"Making the world safe for children and small puppies," Patrick said.

"And… there's still enough time to catch the last of the Friends marathon," Jake said happily.

"Oh geez, are you serious?"

"What? It's a good show."

"Yeah, if you're a moron," Elaine said.

"Hey, I like it too," Jen admitted.

"Okay, so you're both weirdos," she said.

"Rangers!" they heard a voice say. The six of them turned around, shocked as Belial and Demorielle approached them. "This isn't over," Belial called out with the Dragon Dagger in hand.

"Damn, I sure wish I'd set the TIVO before I left. It's going to be a long night," Jake sighed.


	12. Conclusions pt II

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_Thank you to everyone who has made this fic a bigger success than I ever thought it would be. I will continue to write it as long as there are so many of you who will continue to support it. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar, my #1 fan. Thanks Cammy!_

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Saturday March 5th, 2005 8:59pm ... Reefside, California

* * *

**

_The entire fortress was collapsing in on itself. Belial had picked up Demorielle's body, hoping to get her to safety, but there was no place on the island that could be considered out of harm's way. Chunks of the building were falling from the sky, shattering when they hit the ground. The dark fortress was all but destroyed, but Belial continued on, not looking back at all. His only concern was avoiding being hit by falling debris and keeping Demorielle safe. _

_He was sure that once he we far enough away, he would be able to use the Dragon Dagger to save her, but in order to try, the ritual had to go uninterrupted. The sky itself was dark; mostly because Thoron himself was back, and the mere size of him alone was enough to block out the sun's light. _

_"Do not worry Demorielle, you will be restored," he sighed._

_Belial glanced back, amazed there was nothing but a file of debris where the dark fortress once was. For longer than he could remember, he had been trapped in the void between worlds, waiting for the day he would be released and return to the dark fortress, but now, it was gone. Thoron himself was an impressive site, taller than any other being he'd ever seen before. His entire body was made of solid rock, and red hot lava seemed to be coursing through his veins. Though the return of the ultimate demon should have been a joyous occasion for him, it was bitter sweet. All demons were aware of the prophecy; how only the "liquid key" would release Thoron from his prison, but no one was sure of the particulars of his return. Had he known that in order to bring back the master would cost him the life of Demorielle, he would have gladly remained in the void._

_"B-Be-Belial," Demorielle called out._

_"Conserve your strength my Queen," he told her._

_"W-What happened?"_

_"You were injured. Thoron is free, but I will restore you," he assured her, placing the Dragon Dagger over her wound and preparing to use the ritual. "Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua. Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua! Arise!"_

_But nothing happened…_

_"Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua. Nullus vestrum can lego is , quod vos don't vere have ut , quoad is vultus amo we're sententia quispiam callidus quod lepidus in alius lingua! Arise!" he repeated, but nothing again._

_"I don't understand, why isn't this working," he sighed._

_Just then, the dagger began to glow, shaking slightly. There was a flash of light, enough to temporally blind both of them. When the light died down, Belial glanced down, amazed to see that Demorielle's wounds had been healed… but she looked different. At first glance, her wings were gone, and there was a majestic look on her face._

_"I-I…"_

_"My Queen, you are…."_

_"Alive!" he said._

_"I remember. I remember it all. We did such horrible things," she cried, sitting up slightly. _

_"It was in service to our master, but the prophecy has betrayed us. I never would have supported the master had I known his true intentions," he told her._

_She smiled. "You have been my trusted companion through all of this, and now, I have a gift for you as well," she said. She picked up the Dragon Dagger, holding it tightly. The dagger began to glow, then lifted out of her hand, hovering in front of her. It started to spin, stopping with the tip's end pointed directly at Belial, and a beam of energy shot out of it, connecting with Belial's chest. Belial himself began to glow, lifting off the ground as well. The light began to encompass Demorielle as well as she started something to herself. Soon, it was as though Belial began to separate. "Quod iam , vigilo mihi traho a lepus ex foramen in meus gallo," she chanted._

_Both the dagger and Belial fell to the ground, but next to him was someone else._

_"What have you done?" Belial groaned, still unsure of what was happening._

_"As Demorielle, I betrayed you. I possessed you with the soul of my fallen friend, but now, you have restored me to myself, and I have done to same for you," she told him._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Think for a moment, what is your name?"_

_"My name is Be…" he paused, as suddenly memories began rushing into his mind. Images of a child… a woman, a battle of some kind… then darkness. There was nothing. "Anthony," he sighed._

_She nodded. "You are not a demon, you never were. Nor was I. We were manipulated; our bodies and minds were violated by evil. But now, we have to chance to make amends for what we've done," she said._

_"What about him?" he asked, staring down at Belial's body next to him._

_"His essence, whats left of it, has been trapped within the dagger. He is evil and will refuse to help us, so I contained him. You, however, can use his armor to good use. We can assist the rangers in defeating Thoron," she said._

_"The rangers? I…" he paused, reaching behind him, finding a morpher. "I was a…"_

_She nodded. "Yes, you were. You were sent to stop me, but I…" she paused. "I can't apologize enough for what I did to you," she sighed._

_"It wasn't you. You were being influenced. Now, we have a chance to make things right," he began to remove Belial's armor. "How do we stop Thoron?" he asked her._

_"We need the fourth eye," she said._

_"Fourth? There are four of them?"_

_"Yes. Three were needed to release Demorielle, her blood was needed to free Thoron. The fourth eye can combine the dagger with the other three eyes to reopen a stable vortex back to the demon dimension. But there is a catch," she said._

_"There always is."_

_"The vortex will have to be closed from the other side, and it will require a substantial amount of power do to. Which means…"_

_"Someone will have to go with him through the vortex," he sighed._

_"No," she shook her head. "Four of them will," she told him._

* * *

"I'm picking up an unusual energy signature," Ethan said, staring at the screen in the Aqua Base.

Both Ms. Fairweather and Cam rushed over to his station, looking over the readings themselves.

"Its off the charts, a massive amount of mystic energy is building up. There seems to be a huge amount of…" he paused. "Wait, whats that?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

"What?"

"That," he repeated, showing them a small light flashing on the screen.

"It looks like the energy signature from a morpher," Ms. Fairweather said.

"The rangers aren't able to morph while we work on the zords. This signature is a different one," Ethan pointed out.

"Whoever it is, its weak. Its almost as if its lost all its power, but its slowly recharging," Cam mentioned.

"Is that possible?"

"In the first versions of the morphers, we implanted…" she paused. "Oh my God, do you think its one of the rangers we sent in last time?" she asked.

"I thought they were all destroyed."

"No, we lost contact with them, the same way we lost contact with Liz when she was there. If they stayed underground where our censors couldn't track them, they could have hidden all this time without us knowing about it," she said.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?"

"I still need time to finish the last of the configurations on the zords. Thoron's energy level is low, but its slowly rising. There isn't much I can do for them," Cam told them.

"What if we rerouted energy directly from the morphin grid to that morpher?" Ethan asked.

"You can do that?"

"It'll take a minute to work out the calculations for it, but yeah."

"We don't even know who has that morpher. If Belial or Demorielle have it, we could giving them even more power to use against the rangers. I say we hold off," Ms. Fairweather said.

"Agreed, especially since we don't know what this buildup of mystic energy is," Cam added.

Ethan sighed. "Thoron will be fully regenerated any second now. Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it now," Ethan said.

* * *

_Demorielle and Anthony had been hiking for what seemed like days, until finally they came to a clearing where the rangers were standing, celebrating their victory._

_"There they are," Demorielle sighed. "They won't accept our help."_

_"They have to, or this world and every other is doomed," he said._

_"I hope they listen to reason."_

_"As do I," he glanced over at them. "Rangers!" they heard a voice say. The rangers turned around, shocked as Belial and Demorielle approached them. "This isn't over," Belial called out with the Dragon Dagger in hand._

_"Damn, I sure wish I'd set the TIVO before I left. It's going to be a long night," Jake sighed._

_"This day is just going from bad to worse," Rick said, standing ready._

_"Wait, we are not here to fight you," Demorielle said._

_"Oh sure, I bet you tell that to all your arch enemies!" Jen said as she used powers, forming a giant energy ball in her hand._

_"Wait a second," it was Patrick who took a closer look, taking a step forward. "Where are her wings? Her tails?" he asked._

_"I was under demonic possession, I no longer have those things. My name is Myriah, I am an Enchantress from the planet Rashon in the Vika galaxy," she introduced._

_"We've seen these bastards mind fuck us before. How do we know this isn't a trick?" Jen asked._

_It was Anthony who took a step forward, removing his helmet. "Because I am your father," he sighed._

_At that moment, it was if the entire world stopped, and Jen was the only one there. She stared endlessly, trying to get a good look at him. He was considerably older than the last time she'd seen him, and his facial hair covered his entire face. His hair was longer, but other than minor differences, he looked exactly the way she remembered him. She recalled the day he left, and her mother gave she and her brother a flimsy excuse as to why he as gone. __'If what my mother said while she was possessed is true, then…' she thoughts stopped right there. Part of her was unwilling to accept it. __'The last time I trusted one of these fuckers, it left my mother for dead,' she reminded herself. But, there was something in his eyes; something in his demeanor, she __wanted to believe him._

_Just then, the ground began to shake. The ice that sealed the crack in the ground was melting, and there was a rumbling sound beneath their feet. _

_"Looks like lava boy is ready for round two," Liz said._

_Jen, who had never taken her eyes off her father, stared at him. "I have so many questions," she said._

_He nodded. "I know, perhaps there will be time after this is over," he said._

_"You guys ready for this?" Rick asked._

_"Why do you always ask? I mean, its gonna happen if we're ready or not. Like, if I say no, Thoron will wait until I am," Jake brought up._

_Before anyone could respond, the ground opened up even further, and Thoron began to rise up. Once again, he blocked out the sun, and with the debris and dust in the air, it was difficult for them to see anything._

_"Okay guys, just like last time," Liz said._

_Jen took her eyes away from her father, forming an energy ball in hand, then threw it directly at Thoron, hitting him in the chest. Patrick followed up with a series of lightning bolts to the chest, while Jake and Elaine combined their powers, throwing shards of ice at him…_

_… but no effect._

_The dust began to settle, and Thoron hadn't moved at all._

_"What the hell?" Patrick asked._

_"Okay, we're going to have to try something new," he turned to Jen. "Come with me," Rick said._

_Rick grabbed Jen by the hand and began to run towards Thoron, but as they were inches away, Thoron reached down, swatting them away. The momentum was enough to knock the two of them over… and down into the crater that Thoron had come from._

_"Jen, nooooo!" Patrick yelled, ready to rush over to her, but Liz grabbed him._

_"She's with Rick, she'll be fine. Lets concentrate on this big bastard," she said._

_Patrick stood perfectly still, concentrating. Soon, he began to tremble, and as he opened his eyes, they had an eerie glow to them. He then shot a flurry of lightning towards Thoron, then one gigantic bolt of lightning, hitting him directly in the stomach. It was enough to make Thoron take a step back, but did no damage._

_"I don't understand, why isn't this working?" Elaine asked._

_"You used your powers on him the first time, and he's absorbed that energy. He's immune to it. You might as well be throwing rocks at him now," Anthony said._

_"Well, isn't that just great."_

_"I have an idea," he said, reaching behind his back and pulling out two swords._

_"That's your idea? Swords? Sure, we'll stick him to death," Liz said._

_Suddenly, the swords lit on fire, and Anthony went charging in after Thoron._

_"Well, that might work," Elaine said._

_"Lets get'em a hand," Jake said, forming an ice bridge in front of him._

_Anthony ran up the bridge, jumped and dived towards Thoron, stabbing him in the chest with his sword. He pulled one out, then pulled himself up, stabbing him again. Thoron swung at Anthony, but he pulled the swords out and fell, forcing Thoron to hit himself in the chest. It was enough to make him stumble back, and Anthony stabbed him again, this time in the stomach to stop himself from falling. _

_"We're going to need more," Liz said._

_Just then, a huge burst of energy came from the crater; enough to knock Thoron back a few inches. Jen hovered above the crater, surrounded by her own dark energy, firing beams of energy at Thoron. Rick crawled his way free of the crater, rushing over to Liz._

_"I have an idea, but its going to take both of us," he said._

_"What did you have in mind?"_

_"A burst like that last one, but from inside Thoron should be enough to stop him, but I won't have enough energy to phase myself and Jen once its done. I'm going to need you," he said._

_"Okay, lets do it," she turned to Jake. "Think you could help us out?"_

_"With pleasure," Jake said, forming a bridge that led directly to Thoron. _

_Both Rick and Liz ran up the bridge, then jumped. They grabbed Jen, who was still hovering over the crater, then phased, sending all three of them inside Thoron._

_"Good luck you guys," Patrick sighed._

* * *

_"Focus all your energy into one controlled burst. That should be enough to stop him," Rick said._

_Jen paused, mustering up all the energy she could. She began to glow, her eyes an eerie shade of black. Her hair went completely black, then, she herself was covered in darkness. She closed her eyes slightly, then simply let go…_

_The blast was enough to blow a hole in Thoron's chest as lava began to spill from the open wound._

* * *

_"They did it!" Patrick said._

_"I wouldn't be so sure," Demorielle sighed, watching as the hole in Thoron's chest began to refill itself with rocks._

_Anthony rushed over to the rest of the group, amazed by what he saw as well. "He's adapted to this energy, its not going to work. We need more," he said._

_"Rangers, come in. This is Ethan," a voice said._

_It was Patrick who reached for his morpher. "This is Patrick, can I call you right back? This is kinda a bad time," he said._

_"You and the other rangers must report to the Aqua Base at once." _

_"Can't at the moment. We're fighting for the fake of the entire universe here. Can I get a rain check?"_

_"No, prepare for teleportation." _

_"The six of you go, Demorielle and I will try to hold Thoron off until you return," Anthony said._

_"What? Just the two of you?"_

_Anthony's eyes lit up for a split second, and he replicated. Suddenly, there were two of him…_

_… then four…_

_… then eight._

_"I think we can manage," they all said in unison._

_"Wow, that's a nifty trick. When this is all over remind me to show you how to pull a quarter out of your ear," he sighed._

_There was a flash, and suddenly, all of the rangers disappeared into a stream of light._

_"Are you sure we can do this?" Demorielle asked, staring up at Thoron._

_"No, but we're the only chance the universe has," Anthony sighed._

* * *

The six of them appeared in the Aqua Base main hanger, where Ms. Fairweather and Ethan were standing on a platform.

"Damn it Angela, you can't just pull us out of a battle like that!" Rick snapped, taking a step forward.

"By now you know that your powers weren't working on Thoron, and you needed something more. We called you all here to give you your zords. It should be more than enough power to defeat Thoron once and for all," she said.

"Sweet, zords!" Jake said.

"Each zord, like your morphers, are designed to work only for you. Once inside, insert your morphers into the slots to activate them. You'll forgive me if I didn't come up with anything witty to say about each of the zords," he paused, turning around, staring out over the platform. "Jen, you will control the Black Leopard Zord. Elaine, the Blue Manta Ray zord will be yours. Jake, you will assume control of the White Fox Zord. Liz, you will have the Purple Liger Zord, and Rick, you will command the Red Panther zord. Individually, each of these zords have incredible powers, but when they form the megazord, it will harness all of your combined powers," Ethan explained.

Jake raised his hand. "There wouldn't happen to be a TV is my zord? I'm kinda missin' my favorite show," he brought up.

"Um, no."

"Oh well."

"Before you go back into battle, there are some things you should know. We picked up high levels of mystic energy converging on your location, we've been unable to identify it as of yet, but…" she was cut short.

"We know what it is. Demorielle and Anthony are back," Patrick said.

"What do you mean _back_?"

"Demorielle isn't evil anymore, and Jen's dad is helping us," he said.

"You're sure about this?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Jen said.

"That explains the energy readings, but there's still something else," he paused. "We've been able to translate more of it. The entire scroll is the Prophesy of Thoron, which spells out in detail how Thoron will be released and what's needed to stop him. We have to acquire the fourth eye of Thoron," she said.

"The fourth?"

"Yes, there are four total. Once combined, it will open a stable vortex back to his dimension, but to close it will require a massive amount of energy on the other side of the vortex. Based on our calculations, it will take the combined power of four rangers," she said.

"So four of us have to stay in that dimension?" Liz asked.

"I'm afraid so," Ms. Fairweather sighed.


	13. Conclusions pt III

**_Disclaimer:_** _Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them._

_**A/N**: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar. _

_Thank you to everyone who made it even more successful than I ever thought it would be. There will be one final chapter... and then, a special surprise for everyone who stuck with this series. Thanks again, and enjoy.  
_

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**Saturday March 5th, 2005 10:00 pm**

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_Anthony rushed in after Thoron, getting a running start and diving towards him, lunging his flaming zords into the demon's leg. He snatched one out and jammed it in again, this time a little higher up, and continued to do so, using the swords to pull himself up even higher onto Thoron. The demon swung at him, but Anthony let go of one of the swords and swung out the way, forcing Thoron to hit himself in the chest. The impact of it almost made Anthony lose his grip, but he quickly swung back around, grabbing the second sword again._

_He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. There was a momentary flash, and just then, there was a replica of Anthony, this one doing the exact same thing. Both of them continued to replicate, until finally there were almost a dozen of them, all of them climbing their way up Thoron. One of them made it to Thoron's head, cocking back and shoving the flaming zord into his eye. Thoron howled out in pain as lava poured from the wound in his eye, but he reached up, grabbing the replica and tossing him into the sky. The replica simply disappeared into the sky._

_The rest of them continued as a nervous Myriah watched from the surface with a look of concern on her face. She knew that though Anthony was a skilled warrior, he simply wouldn't be enough to defeat Thoron on his own. She wished she could help,_

_ that she would be able to contribute something, but she didn't have any special ability. As an enchantress, she had the ability to bring joy and pleasure to millions of people on her world, but an ability like that was certainly of no use to her in this situation._

_"Hold on just a little bit longer my friend. The rangers will return soon," she sighed._

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"Alright rangers, head back to the quarry with the zords and try to keep Thoron busy as long as you can while we try to get our hands on the fourth eye. Remember, individually your zords are the most powerful I have ever created, but together, they are virtually unstoppable," Ms. Fairweather explained.

"Are we able to morph now?" Jen asked.

Ethan nodded. "Yes, all the modifications on the zords are complete and morphin' energy is back online," he said. "We even boosted the power input frequencies, you should notice a huge increase in power while in ranger form. In conjunction with your zords, it should be enough."

"How do we call on the zords?" Rick asked.

"Use your morphers. Each of the zords are programmed to respond to your voice," Ethan said.

Rick nodded, then turned to the rest of the group. "Alright guys, lets finish this!"

None of them answered. Instead, all of them reached for their morphers. There was a flash of light, and just like that, they were gone… all except for Patrick.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" he whined. "Why don't I get a zord?" he paused. "Is this because I failed my first road test? I swear, that tree came from out of nowhere."

Ms. Fairwather walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "No, you weren't given your zord because we have a special mission for you. Because of your unique power, you are the ideal candidate for a very important assignment," she said.

"What is it?"

"Even with their zords and new found power, the rangers won't be able to defeat Thoron, they simply don't have the power necessary to do it. Our only chance is to capture him again, and we can't do that without the fourth eye. Your mission is to travel to the planet Liaria and get the fourth eye from the wizard who originally trapped Thoron and the other demons in the first place," Ethan said.

"We've sent in small shuttles in an attempt to get it ourselves, but the electromagnetic energy surrounding the planet is too much for our ships to handle. We're reasonably sure that your Pegasus zord in conjunction with your special abilities should be enough to penetrate the barrier and get the eye," Ethan added.

"Wait… reasonably? You mean you're not sure?"

"We've run the simulations, and everything was fine. Once you have the Eye, bring in back here and we'll be able to perform the ceremony to contain Thoron once and for all," she said.

Patrick sighed. "Fine, when do I leave?"

"Come on, I'll walk you down to the loading bay," Ethan told him.

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_There was a flash of light, and the rangers rematerialized in the quarry, finding themselves next to Myriah, who was watching on in horror as Thoron one by one defeated the replicas._

_"Thank the elders you're back. I don't know how much longer Anthony could have lasted," she sighed._

_"He's done his part, now lets do ours," Rick turned to the others. "Ready?"_

_"Ready!" Jake answered, speaking for the entire group._

_"Log on! Virtual Upload, Ranger Mode!" they said in unison, almost instantly transforming into their ranger form._

_Each of them paused for a moment, taking a moment to absorb the power._

_"Ethan wasn't kidding when he said increase," Spectra said, taking it all in._

_"This is amazing," Aqua Tech added._

_"We came here to end it, so lets call out the hardware and take this big fucker down," Allumier brought up._

_"RED PANTHER ZORD, ONLINE!" Predator Ranger called out._

_"WHITE FOX ZORD, ONLINE!" Blizzard Ranger called out._

_"BLACK LEPORD ZORD, ONLINE!" Spectra Ranger announced._

_"PURPLE LIGER ZORD, ONLINE!" Allumier Ranger shouted._

_"BLUE MANTA RAY ZORD, ONLINE!" Aqua Tech Ranger exclaimed._

_Almost instantly, each of the zords materialized in the quarry, each of them even more massive than the rangers imagined._

_"Rangers, go!" Predator Ranger instructed._

_Each of them pressed a button on their morpher, disappearing, but reappearing in their zords a moment later._

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Patrick couldn't help but be amazed as he watched the Earth get smaller and smaller as he traveled away from it on his way to the Liarian planet. He'd seen things on television about space, and he was aware of the Tera Venture project years ago, but never thought he'd be in space himself one time. '_In my own zord, no less,'_ he chuckled.

He was surprised to see how much room he had inside the zord. There was only one seat, just enough for him, but plenty of elbowroom, and plenty of equipment to learn how to work. When he originally climbed into the zord, he was a bit overwhelmed. He was shocked to see how well he'd adjusted to being in the zord, and how quickly he'd learned how to work everything. Ethan mentioned that most of it would come as a second nature to him, and it had.

"_Warning, electromagnetic interference ahead,"_ the onboard computer warned.

"Yeah yeah, I know. Lets keep going," he said, still unsure if the zord would respond to vocal commands.

"_Hull integrity down to 96. A course change is recommended,"_ the computer told him.

"We're not turning out," he said, taking a moment to concentrate, then using his abilities to counteract the electromagnetic interference outside the zord. He watched on the screen as the interference almost seemed to move aside, allowing the zord through. Once he was clear of the interference, he was able to get a full view of the planet ahead of him. It was predominately green, but with spots of blue. Patrick did a quick readout on the planet, discovering that the planet was over 80 percent rainforest. '_That explains all the green,'_ he thought.

He approached the planet slowly, breaking into its atmosphere. Patrick tried his best to control the zord, but it was shaking out of control, and he found himself hurtling towards the surface. He paused, focusing his energy again, using it to create a gust of wind that allowed him to stabilize the zord and land it safely on the ground. Once he touched down, he reached for his morpher, dematerializing.

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"Has there been any word from Patrick yet?" Dana asked as she walked into the main control room of the Aqua Base.

Ethan, who was sitting in front of the controls, turned to her. "No, nothing yet. At top speed Liaria is only about ten minutes away. I'm beginning to think that he wasn't able to get through the interference," he sighed.

"Don't say that. He made it," she said.

"I hope so, he's the last best hope for the world," he said.

Just then, one of the instruments began to beep. Ethan quickly turned to it.

"What is it?"

"Its an incoming communication, but it isn't for Patrick or any of the other rangers," he paused. "What is SPD?"

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_The fox zord rushed at Thoron at top speed, jumping at him and kicking him in the chest. It was enough to make Thoron stumble back, before he was able to get his footing, the manta ray zord shot a stream of water at him. Fox zord used his abilities and froze the water, turning it to ice, and that forced Thoron to fall to one knee._

_"Okay, my turn!" Predator Ranger said, lunging at Thoron in the Panther zord, clawing away at Thoron's face. Thoron got back to his feet, grabbing Panther zord and tossed him aside, sending it flying. It was inches from the ground because dark energy surrounded it, stopping it from crashing. "Thanks for the assist Spectra!"_

_"Anytime," Spectra said._

_The leopard zord set its sights on Thoron, swinging around and hitting him in the knee with its tail. Thoron swung downwards, trying to punch the zord, but missed and his fist when into the ground. Fox zord quickly filled the hole with ice, trapping Thoron. That allowed panther zord and liger zord to jump on his back, biting into him and spitting out huge chunks of rock._

_Thoron was able to free his hand, then got back to his feet, knocking liger zord and panther zord off his back. They were able to regroup, each of them taking their positions, surrounding Thoron._

_"Any suggestions guys?" Predator Ranger asked._

_"Even in the zords he's able to withstand everything we throw at him. We still need more," Blizzard Ranger said._

_"This would be a great time to form the megazord," Allumier Ranger suggested._

_"Yes it is, but we're missing someone," Aqua Tech pointed out._

_"Where the hell is Patrick?" Jen snapped._

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Liaria was a beautiful place. Patrick glanced around, finding himself in an open field of some kind. There was nothing but grass as far as the eye could see, and glancing up, he quickly observed that there were two suns in the sky, but even their combined sunlight didn't seem very hot. He speculated that humans would function normally on Liaria, but a Liarian wouldn't be able to withstand the heat of the sun on Earth.

Just then, a small creature appeared. He was rather small and not very intimidating at all, but didn't seem to be an animal who lived in the rainforest. He had on clothes… or at least what could be considered clothing. Patrick was reasonably sure that it was a child, but there was no way to be sure.

"Hello there," he said cheerfully, hoping not to frighten the creature.

It didn't respond.

"I've been sent here to find a wizard. Could he be in your village or something?" he asked.

Again, it didn't respond.

"I get the feeling I might as well to taking to a tree," he said.

Still, nothing from the creature.

"Who said the art of conversation was dead?" he paused. "It was nice to meet you little guy, but I have to find this wizard. With Thoron free, I don't have time to play charades with you," Patrick said, turning to walk away.

"Thoron?" the creature asked.

It was enough to stop Patrick in his tracks, turning him back around.

"So you do understand me, huh?" he walked over to him slowly, dropping down to one knee. "I'm here to find a wizard named Lerigot. I have to find the fourth eye of Thoron so I can trap him again. Can you help me?" he asked.

The creature didn't answer, instead, opened his hand revealing…

"The fourth eye," Patrick sighed, standing up and admiring it. "You're Lerigot, aren't you?" he asked.

The creature simply nodded.

"Ethan didn't tell me you'd be all little and furry. Well, thank you, but you understand why I can't stay longer. I have to get going," he said, rushing towards his zord.

"Good… luck," Lerigot sighed.

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"I've never heard of SPD," Dana confessed.

In the back of his mind, the initials seemed familiar to Ethan, but he wasn't sure why. "Whoever they are, they're asking to open communications. Lets see what they have to say," he said, opening the channel. "This is the Aqua Base, identify yourselves," he said.

At that moment, a beautiful young woman appeared on the screen. At first glance, her eyes were an odd color, and though he could have been wrong, Ethan was fairly sure he saw cat ears on either side of her head. "I am Doctor Kat Manx from Space Patrol Delta. We have been aware of your situation for quite some time now, but were waiting for the right time to announce ourselves," the woman said.

"Space Patrol Delta?" he inquired.

"We're a small organization here, here to monitor and control the alien population on Earth," she said.

"Aliens? I didn't know there were aliens here on Earth."

"Then that means we've been doing our jobs well. We are aware of your recent encounters with Thoron and we'd like to help. I know about the ritual that forces four of your rangers trapped in the demon dimension, and we've been working on ways around that. You see, one of the rangers that Angela Fairweather originally sent after Thoron works for SPD, but we lost contact with her almost seven months ago. We believe that she is alive and well, only trapped in the demon dimension. For that reason, we've been working on temporal enhancers, hoping that we'd be able to open a stable gateway from the demon dimension to ours," she told him.

"I have the feeling you need our help as much as we need yours," Ethan said.

"In a way, yes. Officer Cambridge was one of our best officers. If shes alive, we'd like to save her," she said.

"Wait, you said she worked for SPD. How could she have been one of the rangers Ms. Fairweather picked for that mission?" Dana asked.

"SPD has operatives in almost every organization on this planet, including Operation Lightspeed and the Silver Guardians. Its important that we're aware of what goes on and how much the general population knows about what we do here, but none of that is important right now. What is important is saving your rangers once they manage to trap Thoron. My superior officer, Commander Cruger, has authorized me to grant you use of the temporal enhancer to save your rangers as long as we also use it to save Officer Cambridge," she said.

"Cambridge? Are you talking about Vanessa Cambridge?" Dana asked.

"Yes."

"You know her?" Ethan asked.

Dana nodded. "I selected her for the project. Her husband was against it, considering they had a daughter to look after, and we never understood why she accepted that mission knowing she might not ever come back or see her daughter or husband again," she said.

"We ordered her to go," Dr. Manx said.

"If you can find your missing officer and help our rangers at the same time, you're more than welcome here," Ethan said.

"Excellent. I will be there shortly," she said, and the screen blinked off.

"You think we can trust her?"

"I don't think we have a choice at the moment," he paused. "Was it just me or did she look like a cat?"

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_Thoron grabbed the manta ray zord and began to squeeze as hard as he could. Aqua Tech responded by spraying water in his face. Fox zord used his powers to freeze the water, trapping Thoron's face in an ice mask. That allowed manta ray zord to squirm free._

_"We're getting our asses kicked out here. There has to be something we can do," Blizzard Ranger said._

_"We can't form the megazord without Tempest Ranger. Until he gets here, we'll just have to hold off as long as we can," Predator told her._

_"I have an idea. Blizzard, Aqua Tech, follow my lead," Spectra said. The lepord zord began to glow with dark energy, and then shot that energy towards Thoron, trapping him in a sort of dark energy sphere. "Okay, now hit him with everything you have!"_

_Manta ray zord began to fill the sphere with water, and once it was full, Blizzard Ranger used his powers to freeze it. Thoron was now completely trapped within an ice sphere._

_"Does anyone here have photon torpedoes?" Spectra asked._

_"You're thinking Star Trek," Predator said._

_"Well, some kind of rockets. Anything?"_

_"I'm on it," Allumier said, aiming and firing rockets at the ice sphere. The entire sphere exploded on contact, and ice chunks began to fall from the sky. There was a lot of smoke, but when it cleared, there was no sign on Thoron._

_"We did it!"_

_"We thought that crusty fucker a lesson, didn't we?" Blizzard asked._

_Before anyone could respond, Thoron grabbed the fox zord from behind, doing his best to crush it in his hand._

_Manta ray zord used a focused beam of water almost like a laser, cutting off Thoron's hand. No sooner than fox zord landed on his feet and regrouped, Thoron's hand simply regenerated._

_"What's the name of that creek that you go up without a paddle?" Allumier asked._

_"Shit creek," Aqua tech said._

_"Yeah, I think that's where we're headed," she sighed._


	14. Conclusions pt VI

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N_**_: This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers are and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. Gaby appears courtesy of Cmar. _

_ This is the end of our fic. There will be one final chapter to tie up all loose ends. Thank you to all of you who made this series the success it has been. Oh, by the way, the people are fanfiction are being real funky with the editing tools, so bare with us.  
_

**--****  
**

**Saturday March 5th, 2005 10:21 pm**

**--  
**

"SPD has operatives in almost every organization on this planet, including Operation Lightspeed and the Silver Guardians. Its important that we're aware of what goes on and how much the general population knows about what we do here, but none of that is important right now. What is important is saving your rangers once they manage to trap Thoron. My superior officer, Commander Cruger, has authorized me to grant you use of the temporal enhancer to save your rangers as long as we also use it to save Officer Cambridge," she said.

_"Cambridge? Are you talking about Vanessa Cambridge?" Dana asked. _

"Yes."

_"You know her?" Ethan asked. _

Dana nodded. "I selected her for the project. Her husband was against it, considering they had a daughter to look after, and we never understood why she accepted that mission knowing she might not ever come back or see her daughter or husband again," she said.

_"We ordered her to go," Dr. Manx said. _

_"If you can find your missing officer and help our rangers at the same time, you're more than welcome here," Ethan said. _

"Excellent. I will be there shortly," she said, and the screen blinked off.

Dr. Manx turned around, taking one final look at the temporal enhanser. When Officer Cambridge was officially announced as missing, she immediately began work on ways to find her and bring her home. The temporal enhancer would be able to create a stable vortex between their dimension and the demon dimension, which she was sure Vanessa was trapped. While she worked on it, she forced herself to prepare for the possibility that Officer Cambridge was already dead, or worse, possessed by non-corporeal demons and turned into one of them. Still, Vanessa Cambridge was one of SPD's finest officers, and she owed it to her to at least try.

She picked up the device and headed towards the exit, but before she could, the doors slid open and in walked a young girl. While she looked much older than she was, her was only nine years old.

"Hello Dr. Kitty," she said cheerfully.

Dr. Manx set the device down, bending down to eye level with the young girl. "Hello Charlie," she looked around. "You know Commander Cruger doesn't like children in this area," she reminded her.

"I know, but Boom said that you were working on ways to find my mom, is that true?" she asked with an eager tone in her voice.

Dr. Manx nodded. "I am. I'm on my way to Marnier Bay now to work with some friends on finding her," she paused. "But, there is a chance that we can't find her, you know?" she mentioned.

"Yeah, but I know you can do it Dr. Kitty. We're SPD, we can do anything," she said.

She couldn't help but smile. "I'll do my best."

"Ya know, when I grow up, I'm going to be a power ranger too. I'll be able to fight the bad guys just like my mom and dad did," Charlie said.

"I have no doubt you will make a great ranger one day," she stood back up, putting her hand gently on Charlies' head. "I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay, I'll go home and wait for mommy," she said cheerfully, skipping out the room.

Dr. Manx sighed. The thought of disappointing that little girl brought a tear to her eye, but it also gave her a new found determination. She was going to do her best to find Vanessa and bring her home. She took a deep breath, then made her way out the room as well.

--

Patrick took a moment to get a good look at the fourth eye. There was nothing special about it, nothing unique. In fact, as he recalled, it looked much like the first three, with the only exception being it was slightly bigger. As he examined it a little closer, he found small openings in it. He speculated that the other three eyes must have fit into the fourth one, but still wasn't sure how it would work or why it was necessary.

_'Magic is stupid anyway, never does anything but get us into trouble,'_ he thought, chuckling inwardly at the thought of power rangers based only in magic. _'Oh yeah, like that would ever happen.' _

His thoughts were interrupted as a light on the control panel in front of him began to flash. He set the eye down, getting a closer look at the readings. "A meteor shower? Great, just great," he sighed.

Before he had a chance to do anything, a meteor collided with the zord, knocking Patrick out of his seat. He quickly regained his composure, but another one hit the zord. Patrick fell back, hitting his head on one of the control panels.

"Okay, this is not good at all."

--

"Still no word from Patrick, and I'm starting to get worried," Ethan said as he leaned back in his chair in front of the control panel in the Aqua Base.

Ms. Fairweather walked over to him, reading the instruments over his shoulder. "He isn't even in communication range yet," she paused. "Something may be wrong," she sighed.

"The Aqua Base doesn't have any ships that can within deep space travel, and I can't exactly send another one of the rangers after him. I'm afraid he's on his own out there," he said.

"What about Andros and the astro rangers? Maybe they can intercept him, see if everything is…" she was cut short.

"I thought of that, but the Megaship is lightyears out of communications range. Whatever he's going to do, he'll have to do it on his own," Ethan sighed.

--

"I'm running out of ideas here," Predator ranger confessed.

"How about we hit him from all sides?" Spectra ranger suggested.

"Good thinking."

The five of them positioned their zords on either side of Thoron, all of them preparing to fire. The blue manta ray zord shot a thin layer of ice at Thoron's feet, and at the exact same moment, the fox zord sprayed the ice with water, making it slippery. Both Panther zord and Liger zord shot rockets at Thoron while the black leopard zord emitted a burst of dark energy, connectly directly in his chest. It was enough to knock Thoron off his feet and over the side of the cliff, sending him falling over 30 feet down and to the bottom of the rock quarry.

"Who was talkin' all that junk about shit creek?" Allumier asked.

"That was you," Aqua Tech pointed out.

"Oh yeah."

"It's not time to celebrate yet rangers, I don't think that was enough to finish him off," Predator said.

Spectra sighed. "I guess I'll cancel that reservation I had at Chuck E Cheese then."

"You still go there?"

"Come on now, it's the place where a kid can be a kid," she defended.

"Fine, when this is over, we're all going to Chuck E. Cheese and the pizza is on me!" Blizzard ranger announced.

Just then, the ground began to shake, and before they could figure out what was going on, Thoron climbed up over the cliff, making it back to his feet.

"What is it gonna take to beat this guy?" Spectra asked.

"You could throw a smoothie in his face, that just might work," Aqua Tech said.

"I would, but he doesn't owe me two dollars."

"Anyone else with any bright ideas?" Allumier asked.

"I have one, but I don't think you're going to like it," Predator said.

"What is it?"

"Allumier and I will use our powers to phase through Thoron, and half way inside, we'll stop, eject from the zords and initiate the auto destruct sequence," he said.

"You're right, I don't like that plan."

"I can't think of anything else. Without Patrick here we can't form the megazord. If he isn't back by now, we have to assume he isn't coming. This could be our only chance," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts, it has to be done."

"What is it with you guys in red and this sense of having to kill yourself to look like the big hero? Patrick will be here, and until he gets here, we wait," Spectra told them.

"I say we should…" he was cut short.

"No, don't count him out. He'll be here," she insisted.

"We'll wait for him five more minutes. If he doesn't make it in time, we go with my plan," Predator said.

--

"Wait, I see something," Ethan moved forward, getting another look at the screen. "It looks like it could be the Pegasus zord, but there's no way to be sure," he said.

Ms. Fairweather walked over to the screen, getting a closer look. "It matches the zord's original configuration, but we still can't open a channel to him. There's no way to know if its him or not."

"I may be able to help you with that," they heard a voice say.

The two of them turned around as Dr. Kat Manx walked into the room. She set a device down on the table in the middle of the room, then hurried over to the control panel. "It looks like I can boost your sensor ranger by tapping tapping directly into the main deflector of the base. That should give you about thirty percent more ranger for communications," she said.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Ms. Fairweather sighed oddly.

She paused. "Okay, there you go. You should be able to make contact now," she said.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Ethan said.

--

_"Hull breach in aft section," _the computer announced.

"What? There's a hole in my zord? Damn, I just got this thing," Patrick sighed, managing to make it back to his seat and get a grip on the controls.

_"Ethan and Tempest Ranger, come in," _a voice said.

Patrick reached over, opening a channel. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice Mr. James. I could really use a hand out here," he said.

_"What's the problem?" _

"There's a hull breach," he said.

_"How'd you do that?" _

"I swear that meteor came from out of nowhere," he said.

_"Their aren't any trees out there, are there?" _

"Very funny, I could use some help."

_"Set the emergency force fields to seal the breach," _he said.

"I don't have enough power for that."

_"Divert power from any other system, even life support if you have to." _

"Life support? Don't I need that to… you know, support life?"

_"The emergency backups should keep you stable until you get back, you'll be fine,"_ he paused. _"Do you have the fourth eye?" _

"Sure do. You didn't tell me Lerigot would be a little fluffy puppy."

_"Just get back here as soon as you can, the others need you. When you're in teleportation range, I'm going to teleport the eye directly to the Aqua Base, you just get to the others,"_ he instructed.

"You got it Mr. James!"

--

"So how is this suppose to work?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"When the three eyes are combined with the fourth and the ritual is performed, it will open a stable gateway from the demon world to our world. When that happens, there is only a small window before it seals itself again. The temporal enhancer will not only allow to keep it open even longer, but it will let us scan inside the demon dimension for any human life signs. When they're detected, we should be able to lock onto them and transport them out safely," Dr. Manx explained.

"What kind of tests have you run with this?"

"I've done various simulations on the SPD Sim-U-Deck, and all of them worked within expected parameters. I don't foresee any problems when its put to the test," she said.

"Don't we run the risk of letting something else out?" Ethan asked.

"There is a small chance that something would get passed out initial scans, but it seems highly unlikely," she told him.

"Is there anyway to prevent non-humans from coming through?"

"No, not without compromising the strength of the original teleportation beam. But again, it should be fine," Kat assured him.

"Okay, so what do you need from us?"

"When you perform the ritual, I'll need to be within 10 meters of you so I can activate the enhancer. Once its active, it will take anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds to scan the interior of the dimension and find any humanoids," she said.

"Sounds good to me."

Just then, a light flashed on the control panel. "Its Patrick, he's in teleportation range," Ethan said, turning to the controls. "Preparing teleportation now."

Within seconds, Ethan locked onto the eye and teleported it directly to the Aqua Base. There was a flash of light, and the eye materialized on the table in front of them.

"Okay, lets get to work."

--

Thoron grabbed the Liger zord, picking it up and throwing it half way across the rock quarry. The Lepord zord used its powers, forming an energy field around Liger zord, allowing it to land safely on the ground.

"Thanks," Allumier said.

"Gimme a few tokens at Chuck E Cheese and we'll call it even," she said.

"Deal."

Panther zord shot rockets at Thoron, but this time, they had no effect on him at all. "Okay, its been almost ten minutes. I think its time to go with…"

"No, no one is risking their life here if they don't have to. Patrick will be here!" Spectra insisted.

"We can't wait for your boyfriend forever, we have to…"

"Whoa, wait a sec. I never said he was my…" she was cut short.

"Oh please, its obvious," Aqua Tech pointed out.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course not. Listen, I don't want anyone to die here either, but this may be our only chance of stopping this big stony bastard," Blizzard ranger said.

Spectra sighed. "Fine, kill yourself if you want. That just means more pizza for me when this is over."

"Okay, wish me luck," Predator said, ready to make his move.

But, before he could…

"Hey, who said you guys could start the party without me?" a voice said.

Spectra recognized it right away. "Tempest Ranger!" she squealed.

"Its about time. But don't worry, we saved you a party hat," Allumier said.

"Did anyone bring chips and dip?"

"No, but theres pin the tail on the donkey later," Aqua Tech mentioned.

_"Listen rangers, this is serious,"_ a voice said over the com system. _"We're in possession of all four eyes, but its going to take some time for us to do the ritual and set everything up. Form the megazord and hold Thoron off as long as you can. Remember, for this to work, there must be four of you on the other side of the vortex so it can be sealed. I can't decide which four of you it will be, but it is a must that someone be in place. It's a tough call, but it has to be done,"_ Ethan explained.

"We know what we have to do," Allumier said.

_"You are, without a doubt, some of the finest rangers I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Good luck, and may the power protect you,"_ he said.

"Okay, you heard the man, its megazord time!"

"RED PANTHER ZORD, online and ready to rock!" Predator Ranger called out.

"WHITE FOX ZORD, ready for action!" Blizzard Ranger called out.

"PURPLE LIGER ZORD, all systems go!" Allumier Ranger announced.

"BLACK LEPORD ZORD," she paused. "Do I really have to say some corny phrase?" Spectra Ranger asked.

"BLUE MANTA RAY ZORD, lets get it done!" Aqua Tech Ranger exclaimed.

"GREEN PEGASUS ZORD," paused. "Um, insert clever action phrase here!" Tempest Ranger exclaimed. "What? It was short notice."

Each of them watched on in amazement as the zords began to transform, taking shape. Soon, the back of each zord seemed to fold away, and the chairs they were sitting in were pulled into another chamber. Now, each of them were sitting next to one another inside a cockpit of sorts.

"Whoa!"

"This is amazing," Spectra said.

"Yeah, its cool, but still no TV," Blizzard sighed.

"Okay you guys, lets give Ethan and Ms. F the time they need!" Predator said.

"Right!" they all said in unison.

--

Ethan, Ms. Fairweather and Dr. Manx arrived at the rock quarry, standing near the edge of the highest cliff as the rangers battled with Thoron.

"Your megazord is impressive," Dr. Manx commented.

"Thank you."

Ms. Fairweather took the first three eyes, inserting them into the fourth. As soon as she did, it began to glow, and within seconds, began to levitate off the ground.

As it floated in front of them, Dr. Manx sat the Temporal Enhancer down, activating it. A beam of light connected with the Eye.

"Okay, I'm ready here."

"Okay, here goes nothing," he sighed. " Illic ero a series ut is serius. Unus of rangers mos reverto , tamen ero vilicus ut is does. Etiam , EGO said is. Ut est a corrumpo. Verum , totus illae est a corrumpo. Utor," he chanted.

But nothing happened…

"What went wrong?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"The eyes have been dormant for centuries, it will take time for them to work," a voice said. The three of them turned around as Anthony and Myriah approached them. "Do not be alarmed, I am here to help you."

"Who are you?"

"Its Anthony Coulbourne, Predator X ranger," Ms. Fairweather said.

"Join hands and do the ritual again," Myriah suggested.

"Hold hands? What will that…"

"Just trust me," she sighed.

Ethan sighed, but reached out for Ms. Fairweather's hand, then to Myriah for hers. Anthony and Myriah held hands as well, and Ethan began the chant again. "Illic ero a series ut is serius. Unus of rangers mos reverto , tamen ero vilicus ut is does. Etiam , EGO said is. Ut est a corrumpo. Verum , totus illae est a corrumpo. Utor," he repeated.

This time, the eye began to glow even brighter, and a rift in subspace began to form.

"Okay, this is it!"

--

The megazord stood its ground, hammering away on Thoron with lefts and rights. With each blow, Thoron was forced to take a step back.

"It looks like we've got him now," Blizzard said.

They swung a right hand, but Thoron caught the zord's fist, and then picked up the entire zord, throwing it across the quarry. As the zord fell to the ground, Thoron came running at them, kicking. The megazord caught Thoron's foot and tripped him, knocking him to the ground.

"WE NEED THE MEGAZORD LIGHTNING SABER!" Predator called out.

Within seconds, the sword materialized in the zord's hand, and it rushed at Thoron, cocking back and stabbing him in the chest. Before Thoron could move, the rangers caught a glimpse of the subspace rift forming a few feet away from them.

"Okay guys, its decision time," Tempest pointed out. "Four of us are going to have to go in with Thoron and close the rift from the inside."

"Allumier and I will go. We're the most experienced here, and with our powers, we have the best chance to making it back," Predator said.

"Count me in too," Blizzard added.

The others remained silent.

"There has to be another way," Spectra said.

"Mr. James said something about a temporal enhancer. He may be able to pull us out when this is over. Maybe no one will have to risk their lives," Tempest brought up.

"We all knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this. I say we ALL go, and whatever happens… happens," Aqua Tech said.

"Agreed," Allumier said.

"Agreed," Blizard said.

"Agreed," Spectra said.

"Agreed," Tempest said.

"So it's settled," Predator sighed. "Ethan was right, you are a fine group of rangers. Lets go!"

The zord picked Thoron up, pushing him towards the rift. Soon, both the zord and Thoron were inside the rift, but continued to battle.

--

"They're inside. Can you get a lock on them?" Ethan asked.

"There is a lot of temporal displacement waves interfering with the signal, but…" she paused. "Yes, I have a positive lock on two… no wait, two," she said.

"Only two?"

"My initial scans show that none of them are Officer Cambridge, but they do have a ranger signature. I should be able to teleport them out," she said.

"What do we have to do on this end?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"We'll have to perform the ritual again and hope the energy field produced by the rangers is enough," Anthony said.

"What about the zords? We will be able to save them too?"

"They're mechanical, so that won't be a problem. Its human life signs that will be tricky; especially Allumier and Predator. They can phase in and out of this continuum, so a lock is close to impossible. I have a confirmed lock on two, but the third seems to be in some kind of temporal flux," Dr. Manx said.

"Who is it?"

"I can't tell," she said.

"We must finish the ritual now," Anthony repeated.

"Do what you can Dr. Manx," he turned to the others, holding their hands. "Illic ero a series ut is serius. Unus of rangers mos reverto , tamen ero vilicus ut is does. Etiam , EGO said is. Ut est a corrumpo. Verum , totus illae est a corrumpo. Utor," he chanted.

"Again!" Myriah sighed.

"Illic ero a series ut is serius. Unus of rangers mos reverto , tamen ero vilicus ut is does. Etiam , EGO said is. Ut est a corrumpo. Verum , totus illae est a corrumpo. Utor," they all said in unison.

They all watched on as the rift began to close.

"It's working!"

--

"Its working, its time for us to do our part," Predator said. "Concentrate, focus all your energy into one controlled burst. It should be enough to close the rift from this end."

The six of them closed their eyes as the zord itself began to glow. There was an energy buildup around the zord as all of them focused their energy on the rift.

--

"I'm reading a one thousand percent increase in energy on the other side of the rift," Dr. Manx said.

"It's the rangers, they're sealing the rift."

"Yes, but they're also scrambling their DNA on a cellular level. The human body wasn't meant to produce that kind of energy, there is no telling what kind of side effects there will be," she said.

"Can you still lock onto them?"

"Yes, preparing teleportation… NOW!"

At that moment, there was a flash of light, and the rift was gone. Each of the zords were spread out across the quarry, and there was a cloud of smoke surrounding them. Soon, the smoke settled, and there were two bodies laying face down in the quarry. Ethan and Ms. Fairweather rushed over to them as quickly as they could, helping them out.

"Is it over?" Patrick groaned, looking up at Ms. Fairweather. He had powered down and was no longer in ranger form, his clothes were torn, the exhausted look on his face made it clear that he'd drained himself of all his energy.

"Yes, you did," she sighed.

Ethan helped up the other ranger, getting her to her feet. "Jennifer, are you alright?" he asked.

"H-How many times do I have to tell you people, its just Jen. J-E-N!" she snarled, also falling over.

"Okay, Jen it is!"

"Wait, what about the others… did they…" he was cut short.

"We did everything we could to get them out, but…" he allowed his sentence to trail off.

"Oh no," Jen sighed.

"Crank up the temporal enhancer, we have to go back for them," Patrick said.

"Neither of you are in any condition to go back. If there is a way to find them and bring them home, we will. I promise you. For now, its over. The world… no, the universe owes you a debt that can never be repaid. Thank you rangers," Ethan said.

"All in a day's work," Jen sighed.

--

to be concluded...


	15. Closure

**_Disclaimer:_**_ Power Rangers and all its related logos are property of Saban and/or Disney Entertainment. I am using them without permission, but I do not intend to make a profit. I mean it, I don't. If I do happen to make some quick cash from it, I promise to sponsor a child for seventy-five cents a day with the money I made. Possibly even two of them. _

**_A/N:_**_ This fic takes place with the assumption that power rangers is and always were real, though the secret identities of the rangers have remained secret over the years. You may see cameos from other rangers, but this will deal primarily with original characters. It is set some time after Dino Thunder, but before SPD. _

_This is it, the final chapter. I hope all of you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it._

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**

Dr. Dana Mitchell glanced down at her clipboard intently, going over the readings from the tests she'd run… and they concerned her. In all her time as a doctor, in doing her test to heal people's wounds and contribute to the world, she'd never seen anything quite like it before. Jen and Patrick, the only two surviving Virtual rangers, were in front of her, each of them inside of long, slender tubes. The tubes themselves were filled with a clear, gelatinous type fluid; in each both of them seemed to be floating in. There were tubes and wires connected to them; including mouthpieces for them to breath normally and a smaller tube in their noses. The equipment gave off a faint humming sound, all the instruments beeping as they closely monitored the condition of the two surviving rangers.

In front of each of the tubes was a small screen. Dana walked over to the screen closest to Patrick's tube, comparing the readings on her clipboard to what the screen showed. She was, to say the very least, disheartened.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the medical lab slid open and Ethan walked in with a concerned look on his face. He immediately walked over to Dana, staring up at the two rangers.

"How are they doctor?" he asked calmly.

"There were only minor scrapes and bruises, they'll heal in a few days, but that isn't what concerns me. What has me worried is the levels of radiation they absorbed coming through that vortex while their ranger energy was at full output," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Let me show you something," she held the clipboard up so he could take a look at it. "This blue line represents the average human's life energy. Regardless to injury or age, this line remains constant. This red line represents ranger energy. You'll notice that it spikes from time to time, which is normal. Energy like that is in always in a state of flux, but that's to be expected when dealing with these type of power," she said.

"So what's the problem?"

"These are the ranger's energy readings right now," she said, motioning for him to look down at the screens in front of each tube.

Ethan paused, taking a moment to go over what he saw, then referred back to the clipboard. "I don't understand. On the paper there are two lines, but on the monitors there's only one long, purple line. Why is that?" he inquired.

"Their ranger energy has combined with their human lifeforce. This means that even without their morphers, they will be able to maintain their ranger powers. Jen will continue to control dark matter energy, and Patrick will still be able to control weather elements," she said.

"That's not a bad thing, they'll just have to learn to control their powers," he said calmly.

"I don't think you understand me. Ranger energy was never meant to combine with the human life force like this. The radiation coming from that energy is conflicting with their bodies. At this rate, the ranger energy will eventually overwhelm the life force, eliminating it," she said.

"You mean…"

"Yes, they're dying," Dana sighed.

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"So what will you do now?" Ms. Fairweather asked him.

Anthony took a moment to stare out the window of the Aqua Base. There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see, but there was still coming very calming about it. He leaned against the wall, folding his arms, letting out a sigh. "I-I don't know. I've spent so long trying to make sure the Dragon Dagger never fell into the wrong hands, trying to keep my family safe, but I don't know if there's a place for me in the world anymore. I've been so busy fighting demons that I've forgotten how to live," he said.

"I'm sure your wife misses you, and your daughter would love to have you in her life again," she said.

"Leaving them was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I hoped that by leaving, they would never be put in harms way, but my daughter still ended up as a ranger and my wife was possessed by demons. I failed them," he sighed.

"That's not true. You were instrumental in saving the world… the universe. I'd say you did well," she said. "I've been married for a long time now, and both my husband and I understand that there will always be things we need to do, but we'll always come back to each other," she paused. "I remember on our honeymoon he got called away on a mission. We didn't like it, but it was what he had to do. Even now he's sitting at home upset that I had to come back to the Base to help Ethan and the others, but he understood. Your wife will understand, and your daughter already does."

He sighed. "It's been over four months. Do you think they'd be willing to take me back so easily?"

"It won't be easy, and there will be things that all of you have to do to adjust, but you _will_ adjust and you can be a family again," Ms. Fairweather told him.

Anthony walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you Angela, that's exactly what I needed to hear," he said.

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"We have to do something for them Dana. We can't just let them die," Ethan sighed.

"There isn't anything I _can_ do. The ranger energy will continue to bond with their life force, in essence joining with their DNA. It's so far gone now that I can't even separate the ranger from their life signs. Try to separate it would kill them instantly," she said.

"That can't be true. When I was a dino ranger, my dino gem combined with my DNA, but it was removed with no problems," he brought up.

"That was different. You summoned the power of the gem and expended it all. Your body no longer has power inside of it. In their case, they could have done the same, but doing through that vortex somehow warped the energy. Its all combined now, there is nothing to separate anymore," she said.

"There has to be something we can do," he complained.

"Actually, there is," a voice said.

The two of them turned around as the doors to the medical bay slid open and Dr. Kat Manx walked in. "In 2001 when SPD originally established a base of operations on Earth, we began experimenting with morpher technology. Some of our lead scientists were exposed to cellular enhancers for a prolonged period of time, and as result, the energy combined with their life-forces, much like what's happening now with your rangers," she told them.

"What did you do?"

"We gave each of them a neural temporal inhibitor. It's a chip embedded into the back of their necks to regulate the flow of ranger energy and prevent it from combining with their own life energy. In each case, they survived, but they're children suffered the side effects," she said.

"Side effects?"

She nodded. "Each child born exhibited special powers. One of them can replicate herself at will, another passes through solid objects, there's even one that can combine her DNA with any things she touches. None of them show any signs of trouble and will no doubt go on to lead normal, healthy lives, but their parents will have to keep the temporal inhibitor for the rest of their lives," Dr. Manx explained.

"Where do we get our hands on these inhibitors?" Ethan asked.

Dr. Manx reached in her lab pocket, pulling out two of them. "The technology may be a little beyond what you have currently, but it will work, and it will allow them to not only keep their ranger powers, but let them live normal lives if they choose to," she said.

Dana took one of the inhibitors, getting a good look at it. "This is nano technology. I've read about this, its more advanced that anything we've ever done here at Lightspeed, but if I know my nano-tech the way I think I do, it will work," she turned to one of the nurses. "Remove the rangers from their tubes and prep them for surgery ASAP. Also, get Hayley Stanton in here," she said.

"Right away ma'am," the nurse said, rushing away.

"I hope this works," Ethan sighed.

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"What do you mean _gone_?" Carl snapped, kicking over equipment in one of the medical labs. "He can't be gone!"

"I'm sorry, but there wasn't anything we could do. Your brother made a choice, and knew what the consequences might be," Hayley explained.

"That's bull and you know it. He trusted you to find a way to save him, to bring him back. Now my brother is lost in some damn demon hell while the rest of the rangers are here living it up like heroes or something," he snapped.

"Only two of the rangers came back, and neither one of them are living it up. In fact, they're dying," she sighed.

Her statement was enough to make Carl pause. "Really?"

"Yes. If something is done for them soon, neither one of them will survive," she said.

"Good," he said in a devious tone.

"What?"

"You heard me. Good! What the hell makes them so special that they get to come back and my brother doesn't? Why aren't you people doing your best to go back for Jake and the others? You're all so concerned about the two who made it out, but what about the ones who didn't? Why aren't we all teary eyed about them?" he screamed.

"Going back to the demon dimension is out of the question at the moment. There are too many variables to consider. If we do it wrong, there's no telling who or what could come out of that vortex. Then, you also have to consider the possibility that all of them, including your brother, have been possessed by demons. If that is the case, there is nothing we can do for any of them," Hayley explained.

"So that's it, huh? Chalk'em up as a loss and be done with it? My brother risked his ass to save the world, and now you're going to write him off?" he yelled.

"We're all grateful for what your brother and the others did to save us, but putting the world at risk to go after them would only…" she was cut short.

"Would only what? Be fair? He got himself trapped there to save you, but now you won't put your own neck out there to help him? That's pathetic!" Carl snapped.

"I know how you feel, but…"

"No, you don't know how I feel. How could you? You didn't lose a brother, I did!"

She paused. "No, I didn't lose a brother. I lost a sister," she sighed.

Carl paused. "You what?"

"My sister, Jody Stanton, was one of the original rangers who went into the demon dimension to stop Demorielle and Thoron from ever being released. We kept it a secret from my father because we knew how'd he react, but I've been doing my best to find her ever since. That was almost five months ago, and every day I haven't given up searching for her. If there was a way to bring her back, I would. If I could go in there myself and save her, I would, but again, I have to consider the possibility that she's possessed by demons by now… or worse," Hayley sighed.

"I-I didn't know."

"No, you didn't. No one knows, except for Ms. Fairweather and Dr. Mitchell," she walked over to him. "Believe me when I tell you I will do my best to find your brother _and_ my sister and bring them home, but be prepared for the worst. We may not ever see them again," she sighed.

"Do what you can," he paused. "I'm sorry about…"

"Don't worry about it, I understand," she told him.

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Myriah sat in the mess hall in front of her food, but hadn't taken a bite at all. She instead stared out the window of the Aqua Base, contemplating her next move. There was no way to be sure how long ago she was possessed by demons, or how long ago her world had been destroyed, but she knew there was no going back. Everyone she loved was gone; everything they cherished in life had been destroyed. There was nothing left for her.

As an enchantress, she was meant to bring job into people's lives. She made people happy, so to put in a position to destroy those she intended to give pleasure bothered her to no end. She'd been violated by demons, made to perform unspeakable acts of violence and suffering, and now, she wasn't even sure if she deserved live.

"So much pain," she sighed inwardly.

Her thoughts were broken as someone walked over to her, sitting down across from her. "You're Myriah, right?" he asked.

She glanced up. "Yes."

"I'm Ryan Mitchell. My dad is the man in charge around here," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you," she sighed.

"I read the reports about you, I know what happened and what you did," he told her.

"Then you know I don't deserve to be here, to even live. I've caused too much pain, I've hurt too many people," she sighed.

"That's not true. You were possessed, it wasn't really you," he said.

"I was conscious of it all, aware of what I was doing. I couldn't stop it, but I had to witness it all," she told him.

"When I was a ranger, I turned on my friends. I attacked my friends and family, was tricked into working for the demons in the shadow world. I know what you're going through," he paused. "You don't have to blame yourself for what happened."

"Ryan, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't understand," she paused. "I didn't just turn on a friend, or betray my family; I am directly responsible for the destruction of my entire home world. Countless billions were killed by my hands, and those who weren't killed were so badly injured that they wouldn't have survived anyway. I am the last of my race because I killed them all Ryan," she said as a tear rolled down her face.

"Actually," he pulled a vanilla folder from under his jacket. "I had Ms. F do a little of research on your home world and I found something interesting," he said, sliding the folder to her.

Myriah glanced through the papers. "M-My world… wasn't destroyed?" she asked.

He shook his head. "There was a lot of damage and destruction, but the entire world was not destroyed," he said.

"How long ago was this?"

He paused. "It was a very long time ago Myriah. I'm afraid that anyone you may have known has already died of old age," he took a deep breath. "You were gone for over two hundred years," he told her.

"Oh my lord," she sighed.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken back to your world. That is, if you want to go," he said.

"Go back?"

"I'm not saying it will be easy for you, but it is your world, and you can live out the rest of your life on your own planet," he said.

She stood up, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you Ryan!" she cried.

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He opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself on an examining table of some kind. There was a huge light shining down on him, forcing his eyes to adjust to it. The examining table itself was cold and damp, and there were wires connected to his arm and chest.

"What the…" he tried to sit up, but there was a sharp pain in the back of his neck, forcing him to lay back down.

"Don't try to move, you need your rest," Dana told him.

"What happened?"

"Your ranger energy was… _conflicting_ with your life energy. We had to implant a chip to prevent the ranger energy from overwhelming you and ultimately killing you," she told him.

"You mean I could have…" he paused. "Oh God, where is Jen?" he asked.

"She's fine, you're both fine. Right now, you just need to rest."

"What about the others? Were we able to…"

"No, there was nothing else we could do for them. I'm sorry," Dana said.

He sighed. "When can I get out of here?" he asked.

"Soon. Right now, just relax."

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"It itches," Jen said as she reached back, scratching the spot where the chip had been implanted. "It feels like something crawling around in my neck."

"Actually, it is, in a way," Dr. Manx said. "The nano-probes will help to isolate your ranger energy from your life energy and separate them. You may feel an itching sensation for a few days, but it will pass," she said.

"So… I still have my ranger powers?"

"Yes, though I can separate them from your life energy, I can't remove them," she said.

Jen stuck out her hand, creating a sphere of dark energy. "Sweet," she said. "But wait, what about the others?"

"I am leaving the temporal enhancer here, and they're welcome to try to find a way back to the demon dimension, but even if they do, you can never go back yourself. Exposure to that kind of radiation again will short out will eventually kill you," she said.

"Rick and the others gave their lives to save us, the least we can do is…"

"What? Kill yourselves as a way of saying thanks? I'm sure Ethan and the others are working on a plan to find them and bring them home, but in the meantime, its time for you to go back to your normal life. You're a fourteen-year-old girl with your life ahead of you. Go live your life," she said.

"How can I live my life knowing it cost them theirs?"

"If the shoe were on the other foot, wouldn't you want them to?" Dr. Manx asked.

Jen sighed.

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There were all types of debris scattered around the quarry, the aftermath of the battle that saved not only the world, but the known universe. There were shards of metal lying around; pieces of the zords that were damaged and beyond repair were left behind. The wind blew through the quarry, swirling dirt and dust through the air. When it finally settled down, and the clouds parted; and light shined down into the quarry.

A few of the rocks began to tremble, and eventually moved altogether and _he_ sat up slowly, holding his head in pain. There was a throbbing pain in his head, and scars all over his body. He stood up slowly, glancing around the quarry, still confused as to what happened.

"W-Where am I?" he asked, wiping the dirt away from his eyes and mouth, trying to recall the events leading up to that moment.

But nothing…

Then, all of a sudden, a more pressing question came to mind as he stared off into the vast nothingness of the quarry. "Who am I?" he wondered.

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End


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